EDUCATION

Computers

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what access (a) he and (b) his ministerial private office has to tablet devices; and what the purchase cost was of those devices in the most recent year for which figures are available.

Elizabeth Truss: The Department does not provide tablet devices for the use of the Secretary of State for Education, my right hon. Friend the Member for Surrey Heath (Michael Gove), or staff in his ministerial private office.

Pupils: Disadvantaged

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will publish the budget per pupil for each school in England before and after the introduction of the pupil premium.

David Laws: We do not hold a full set of the information requested covering all schools. However, at national level, in the financial year 2010 to 2011, the year before the pupil premium was introduced, £36.1 billion was allocated through the Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG) and other grants, at a per pupil figure of £5,083.
	In the financial year 2012 to 2013, the year after the pupil premium was introduced, £36.9 billion was allocated through the DSG, again at a per pupil rate of £5,083. The pupil premium budget was £1.25 billion, at a rate of £623 per pupil for deprived and looked-after children, and £250 per pupil for service children.
	For the financial year 2013 to 2014, £38.1 billion has been allocated through the DSG. The reform of DSG to allocate funding through three blocks (schools, early years and high needs) means that the per pupil figures are not directly comparable to those for the previous year. Overall average funding per pupil for the schools block and early years block is £4,551 and £4,282 respectively, with funding of £10,000 per high needs place and £8,000 per place in alternative provision settings. The total pupil premium budget is £1.875 billion, at a rate of £900 per pupil for deprived and looked-after children, and £300 per pupil for service children.
	We are determined to close the attainment gap between disadvantaged pupils and their peers because it is unacceptable for children's achievement at school and success in life to be constrained by economic disadvantage. The evidence could not be clearer: economic disadvantage remains strongly associated with poorer academic performance. That is why we introduced the pupil premium which is additional funding given to schools so that they can support their disadvantaged pupils. Since the pupil premium was introduced, disadvantaged pupils' attainment has improved. Results for 2012, the first year to reflect the impact of a full year of pupil premium, showed a larger than expected narrowing of attainment gaps nationally for both key stage 2 and key stage 4.

Schools Commissioner

Nicholas Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education when he plans to appoint a new Schools Commissioner.

Edward Timpson: Final interviews for the Schools Commissioner are being held during the first two weeks of September. The Permanent Secretary hopes to make an appointment shortly thereafter.

Schools: Vocational Guidance

Tristram Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Education when the Ofsted thematic review of careers provision will be published.

Matthew Hancock: This question is a matter for Ofsted. HM Chief Inspector, Sir Michael Wilshaw, has written to the hon. Member, and a copy of his response has been placed in the House Library.

Schools: Vocational Guidance

Tristram Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps he takes to ensure that (a) non-academy schools, (b) academy schools and (c) free schools secure independent and impartial careers service provision.

Matthew Hancock: Maintained schools in England have a statutory responsibility to secure independent and impartial careers guidance.
	Academies and free schools which opened from September 2012 onwards are required by their funding agreements to secure independent and impartial careers guidance in line with the duties on maintained schools.
	Maintained schools, academies and free schools are held to account through Ofsted inspections, which consider how well pupils are prepared for the next stage of their education, training or employment. Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Schools, Sir Michael Wilshaw, has confirmed that Ofsted will give careers guidance a greater priority as part of school inspections in the 2013/14 academic year.
	This year saw publication of the second set of Destination Measures. These show the percentage of students at each secondary school continuing their education in school, further education or sixth form college or higher education institution, the percentage training, including through an apprenticeship and the percentage who went into employment.
	These measures will enable maintained schools, academies and free schools to evaluate the effectiveness of their careers advice.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Food Banks

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether all jobcentres issue vouchers for food banks; and if he will make a statement.

Fiona O'Donnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what guidance his Department has issued to Jobcentre Plus staff on referring claimants to food banks; and if he will make a statement.

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 11 July 2013, Official Report, column 346W, on food banks: voucher schemes, for what reasons his Department has no plans to monitor the usage of food banks.

Mark Hoban: Food banks are not part of Government policy and, as such, the Department for Work and Pensions does not hold or collect information on their usage. Jobcentre Plus signpost people to food banks only; it does not refer people to food banks or issue vouchers.

Personal Independence Payment

Robert Flello: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many calls his Department has received since the introduction of personal independence payments asking for an extension of time to submit the forms.

Esther McVey: The Department does not keep a record of how many requests have been made for extensions of time to submit PIP application forms. Should evidence from live running highlight a need to record this data, the Department will consider including it in future enhancements to DWP IT systems supporting the administration of PIP.

Self-employed: Unemployment

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many self-employed persons previously paying Class 2 National Insurance Contributions have declared themselves unemployed since 2010.

Mark Hoban: The information requested is not available.

Standards

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the statement by the Chancellor of the Exchequer on 26 June 2013, Official Report, column 314, on spending review, what discussions he has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer about those programmes in his Department identified in that statement as under-performing; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Hoban: The Department continually assesses the performance of programmes to ensure that the best possible value for money is received and they meet the standards required. This is a clear Government priority which HMT and DWP continue to monitor on an ongoing basis.

Universal Credit

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much expenditure by his Department on information technology for universal credit has been written off to date.

Mark Hoban: The Department regularly reviews the value of its IT. Any impairments to these assets are disclosed in the annual accounts. There were no impairments in the accounts for 2011-12; the accounts for 2012-13 will be published shortly.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Afghanistan

Stephen McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent steps he has taken to ensure the preservation of women's rights and young girls' access to education in Afghanistan once UK armed forces leave that country.

Justine Greening: DFID has made combating violence against women and girls a strategic priority in the Afghanistan country programme and making sure that the law on Elimination of Violence Against Women and the National Action Plan for the Women of Afghanistan are fully implemented.
	The UK will continue supporting girls’ education in Afghanistan until at least 2017 and has committed £47 million to the DFID Girls Education Challenge Fund between 2013 and 2016 to help 250,000 girls access quality schooling in Afghanistan.

Bangladesh

Jim Sheridan: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development pursuant to the answer of 16 May 2013, Official Report, column 393W, on Bangladesh, whether her Department has considered using the preferential trade access policy to encourage better health and safety regulations in Bangladesh; and whether she has discussed how to encourage better health and safety regulations in Bangladesh with (a) her European counterparts and (b) the European Commission.

Alan Duncan: Improving health and safety in Bangladesh was discussed at senior official level at the EU Director General meeting in June.
	Duty-free, quota-free access to EU markets is granted to Bangladesh on the basis of need in line with agreed EU regulations and there is no provision for the use of additional conditionally. DFID does not believe that it would be appropriate to link Bangladesh's preferential access to EU markets directly to health and safety regulations. Any reduction in Bangladesh's market access would result in immediate and long-term harm to the livelihoods of poor Bangladeshi workers. A better approach is reflected in the ‘Compact’ signed on 8 July between the EU, the International Labour Organisation (ILO) and the Government of Bangladesh committing Bangladesh to improvements in occupational health and safety. DFID officials, including in our Bangladesh office are also working closely with European counterparts and others to co-ordinate action to improve health and safety in Bangladesh.

Central African Republic

Ivan Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what long-term plans her Department has to provide support for children affected by conflict and humanitarian crisis in the Central African Republic.

Justine Greening: The UK is providing £5 million in immediate humanitarian funding, which will provide urgent medical, food and livelihoods assistance to people in the Central African Republic.
	Children are among the worst affected in any humanitarian crisis. Funding will provide support to girls who have been affected by sexual violence, as well as helping families to provide for their children's basic needs,
	The UK will continue to liaise with UN organisations, the Red Cross and non-governmental organisations to monitor the humanitarian situation in the Central African Republic and will revise its plans accordingly as the situation develops.

Developing Countries: Asylum

Jim Sheridan: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development 
	(1)  what estimate she has made of the length of the average stay in a refugee camp;
	(2)  what steps she is taking to reduce the length of stays in refugee camps.

Alan Duncan: There were 15.4 million refugees at the end of 2012. Of these, over 6 million were living in long-term refugee situations with an average length of stay of 17 years (UN High Commission for Refugees figures).
	The UK provides support to UN agencies such as the UN High Commission for Refugees and the International Organisation for Migration, as well as non-governmental organisations and the Red Cross, to help refugees return to their countries of origin or temporarily settle in host communities where feasible.

Developing Countries: Children

Ivan Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what specific work on child protection work her Department is undertaking in the 22 countries listed in the report of the UN Secretary General on children and armed conflict, published in May 2013, as being ones where grave violations are being committed against children.

Justine Greening: The UK provides funding to humanitarian agencies which specialise in the protection of civilians, including children, in situations of armed conflict.
	For example, since 2011 the UK provided £60 million of core funding to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) for activities that include family tracing and reunification of separated and unaccompanied children in most of the 22 countries listed in the report.

Developing Countries: Children

Ivan Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what amount of bilateral funding is provided by her Department each year to those countries identified as of concern by the UN Secretary General's Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict; and what proportion of such funding is provided through direct budgetary support to the governments of those countries.

Justine Greening: These figures are available in table 14 of the Statistics in International Development (SID). Table 14 is broken down into five geographically split tables showing each country and type of aid including budget support.
	The link for the SID is located at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-for-international-development/about/statistics
	The link to table 14 specifically is at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-for-international-development/series/statistics-on-international-development-2012

Developing Countries: Females

Ivan Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what plans her Department has made to host a summit on violence against women and girls in humanitarian emergencies as outlined in her speech at Amnesty International; when it will take place; who will attend; and what her priorities for the event will be.

Justine Greening: Preparations for the event are under way and I will update Parliament on plans in due course.

Developing Countries: Nature Conservation

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development 
	(1)  what recent discussions she has had with (a) her EU counterparts and (b) the Intergovernmental Authority on Development on establishing a wildlife enforcement network in the Horn of Africa; and if she will make a statement;
	(2)  what recent discussions she has had with her (a) EU and (b) G8 counterparts on combating wildlife trafficking; and if she will make a statement;
	(3)  what discussions she has had with (a) the European Commission and (b) her European counterparts on the establishment of a trust fund to tackle the rule of law, security and human effects of wildlife trafficking and poaching in Africa; and if she will make a statement;
	(4)  what recent discussions she has had with (a) the European Commission and (b) her European counterparts on the threat to rule of law and regional security from wildlife trafficking; and if she will make a statement.

Lynne Featherstone: The UK's response to the recent increase in illegal wildlife trafficking (IWT) is being led by the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. As a member of the inter-ministerial group on this issue, I am co-ordinating DFID's contribution to the planned high-level summit and associated dialogue with key actors next year.

Developing Countries: Taxation

Anas Sarwar: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what plans her Department has to support developing nations in their efforts to prevent capital flight; how much official development assistance will be spent on support for tax administrations in the current financial year.

Justine Greening: DFID is currently funding 48 tax programmes across 20 countries, totalling around £20 million per annum. DFID also supports the World Bank and International Monetary Fund programmes on anti-money laundering.

Namibia

Tony Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development 
	(1)  what steps her Department is taking in respect of Namibia;
	(2)  how her Department plans to respond to growing food insecurity and malnutrition in Namibia.

Lynne Featherstone: DFID is actively monitoring the food insecurity and malnutrition situation and tracking the response to the situation from the Government of Namibia and international community, and considering whether DFID support is needed.

Sub-Saharan Africa

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development whether her Department has undertaken any research into levels of corruption involving foreign businesses operating in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Lynne Featherstone: DFID has not conducted research into overall levels of corruption involving foreign businesses operating in Sub-Saharan Africa. DFID has anti-corruption strategies for all the countries where it has a bilateral aid programme and takes a proactive approach to reducing potential for fraud through Fiduciary Risk Assessments and Due Diligence assessments of its contractors.

UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs

Ivan Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what proportion of UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs appeal requests have been met by her Department in the areas of (a) food, (b) education and (c) child protection in the last five years; and who has responsibility for taking such decisions.

Justine Greening: The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has oversight of the UN's Common Appeal Process and Flash Appeals worldwide. The UK has contributed £1.6 billion directly to these appeals since 2009. In addition, the UK provides a significant proportion of humanitarian aid as core funding to UN humanitarian agencies such as the Red Cross, and through pooled funds.
	Decisions are taken at the ministerial level.

CABINET OFFICE

Average Earnings: Females

Chris Ruane: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office pursuant to the answer of 15 July 2013, Official Report, columns 556-8W, on average earnings: Clwyd, what assessment his Department has made of the reasons for the doubling of female full-time gross weekly earnings between 1997 and 2012.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Glen Watson, dated July 2013
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 15 July 2013, Official Report, columns 556-8W, on average earnings: Clwyd, what assessment his Department has made of the reasons for the doubling of female full-time gross weekly earnings between 1997 and 2012. (166870)
	The Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE), carried out in April each year, is the most comprehensive source of earnings information in the United Kingdom. Weekly levels of earnings are estimated from ASHE, and are provided for employees on adult rates of pay, whose earnings for the survey pay period were not affected by absence.
	The estimate for median full-time gross weekly earnings of female employees in the Vale of Clwyd constituency in 1997 is £264.20, while the estimate for 2012 is £484.60, Consequently, the increase over this period is 83 per cent. In comparison, the corresponding increase for full-time female employees in the UK is 69 per cent.
	Clearly, much of the increase in earnings is attributable to inflation. For example the Consumer Prices Index (CPI) shows an increase of 37 per cent over this period. In addition, changes in average earnings may be influenced by various factors in the labour market. For example median earnings may increase if there is growth in the number of high-paid jobs or a loss of low-paid jobs. Beyond this, the Office for National Statistics has not made an assessment of the reasons for the increase in median full-time gross weekly earnings for female employees in the Vale of Clwyd constituency between 1997 and 2012.

Government Departments: South West

Conor Burns: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office which Government Departments and agencies have offices based in (a) Bristol, (b) Swindon and (c) Bournemouth; and how many people are employed in each such office.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.
	Letter from Glen Watson, dated July 2013
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking the Minister for the Cabinet Office, which Government departments and agencies have offices based in (a) Bristol, (b) Swindon and (c) Bournemouth; and how many people are employed in each such office (167053).
	Estimates of Civil Service employment are published annually by the Office for National Statistics on the National Statistics website. The data available refer to the survey reference date of 31 March 2012.
	The table provides the headcount of Civil Servants in post in the City of Bristol, Swindon and Bournemouth by department, agency and location as at 31 March 2012. These headcounts were selected at NUTS4 geographic level, to maintain comparability between the areas you requested information for.
	A copy of the table will be placed in the Library of the House.

Low Pay

Jessica Morden: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what estimate he has made of the number of people in work who earn below £7.45 per hour in (a) the UK and (b) Wales; and how many such people are (i) women and (ii) men.

Nick Hurd: holding answer 18 July 2013
	The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Glen Watson, dated July 2013
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate he has made of the number of people in work who earn below £7.45 per hour in (a) the UK and (b) Wales; and how many such people are (i) women and (ii) men. (166048)
	The Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE), carried out in April each year, is the most comprehensive source of earnings information in the United Kingdom. Hourly levels of earnings are estimated from ASHE, and are provided for employees on adult rates of pay, whose earnings for the survey pay period were not affected by absence. It is not possible to estimate the number of jobs with hourly pay between specified thresholds using ASHE data, though it is possible to estimate the corresponding proportions of jobs.
	The following table shows the proportion of employee jobs with hourly earnings below £7.45 in the UK and in Wales, as at April 2012, the latest period for which results are available. Figures are provided for male employees, female employees and all employees.
	I note that £7.45 is the current rate suggested by the Living Wage Foundation for a UK living wage. The latest ASHE data are for April 2012, at which time the corresponding rate was £7.20. I have therefore also provided an answer which shows the proportion of employee jobs with earnings below £7.20 in April 2012 in the UK and in Wales.
	
		
			 Proportion of employee jobs(1) paid less than (a) £7.45 and (b) £7.20 in April 2012 in the UK and in Wales 
			   Proportion of employee jobs (percentage 
			   Hourly rate<£7.45 Hourly rate <£7.20 
			 UK All employees 20.6 18.3 
			  Male employees 15.4 13.7 
			  Female employees 25.9 23.1 
			     
			 Wales All employees 24.7 22.3 
			  Male employees 18.7 16.6 
			  Female employees 30.3 27.7 
			 (1) Employees on adult rates whose pay for the survey pay period was not affected by absence. Source: Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE), Office for National Statistics.

Teenage Pregnancy

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what the teenage pregnancy rate was in each year since 2010; and what he expects it be in 2014-15.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Glen Watson, dated July 2013
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your recent question asking the Minister for the Cabinet Office on what the teenage pregnancy rate was in each year since 2010 and what it expects it to be in 2014-15 (166946).
	This question has been answered using conception statistics to women aged under 18 to represent teenage pregnancies for England and Wales for 2010 and 2011. Conception statistics are estimated for women usually resident in England and Wales and are based on birth registrations and abortion records.
	The latest year for which conception statistics are available is 2011. Statistics for 2012 are due to be published in February/March 2014.
	The ONS does not produce projections of conception rates, so cannot provide projected figures for 2014-15.
	
		
			 Under 18 conceptions 2010-11, England and Wales 
			  Conception rate per 1,000 women aged 15 to 17 
			 Area of usual residence 2011 2010 
			 England and Wales 30.9 34.3 
			 England 30.7 34.2 
			 Wales 34.2 36.9 
		
	
	The conception rate for women aged under 18 in England and Wales for 1998-2011 are available on the ONS website (see table 6):
	http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/vsob1/conception-statistics--england-and-wales/2011/rft-conception-statistics-2011.xls

Telephone Services: Fees and Charges

Richard Burden: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office What assessment he has made of the National Audit Office report, Charges for customer telephone lines, HC 541, and if he will make a statement.

Nick Hurd: The report makes the case for greater co-ordination across Government on charges for telephone lines and we agree in principle that it is inappropriate for vulnerable people to pay high charges for accessing vital public services. For far too long, Government was not joined up in the use of paid for numbers and so a more co-ordinated approach is required.
	As a result, key Departments such as HMRC and DWP, have agreed to work together (with the Cabinet Office) to develop guidance and best practice to share across Government.
	More broadly, the Government Digital Service is driving the transformation of services to become ‘digital by default’. As a result, the use of call centres and telephones will diminish over time.

ATTORNEY-GENERAL

Crown Prosecution Service

Philip Davies: To ask the Attorney-General, pursuant to the answer of 15 July 2013, Official Report, column 512W, on Crown Prosecution Service, what recent discussions he has had on the work of the Crown Prosecution Service.

Oliver Heald: As Ministers charged with superintendence of the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) both the Attorney-General and I have regular discussions with the Director of Public Prosecutions and with many others with an interest in the criminal justice system and the work of the CPS, including members of the judiciary.

PRIME MINISTER

Russia

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Prime Minister 
	(1)  if he will discuss Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender rights in Russia with President Putin at the G20 Leaders' Summit in St Petersburg in September 2013;
	(2)  if he will seek assurances from President Putin about the (a) safety and (b) rights and freedoms of athletes and spectators at the Winter Olympics in Sochi while at the G20 Leaders' Summit in St Petersburg in September 2013;
	(3)  if he will discuss the repeal of the law on propaganda of non-traditional sexual relations among minors with President Putin at the G20 Leaders' Summit in St Petersburg in September 2013.

David Cameron: The Government shares concerns about the growing restrictions on LGBT freedoms in Russia. British officials at all levels have been lobbying on the issue of the LGBT law since the first regional anti-gay propaganda law was tabled in 2012. I have personally expressed my strong concern about human rights in Russia when I met President Putin in June and I will be raising my concerns on LGBT freedoms when I meet President Putin in St Petersburg this week.
	We are working with the International Olympic Committee and the British Olympic Association to ensure that the Games take place in the spirit of the Olympic Charter and are free from discrimination.

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Agriculture: Subsidies

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what controls will be placed on administration costs for individual agreements under reforms to the Common Agricultural Policy.

David Heath: Subject to confirmation, over the 2014-20 multi-annual framework of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) the UK will receive £17.8 billion in Pillar 1 for direct subsidies for farmers, and £1.84 billion to spend in Pillar 2 on the environment and rural development. It will be essential to ensure we implement the CAP in a way which is as simple as possible, affordable and effective in delivering the outcomes we all want to achieve. The ideal will be to devise a scheme which is as straightforward as possible for both farmers and the delivery bodies, thus ensuring administration costs are kept to a minimum for both farmers and the UK taxpayer. To this end, DEFRA and the Paying Agencies are working closely together towards delivering the CAP in line with these objectives.

Agriculture: Subsidies

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate he has made of the cost to English farmers of modulation under the next stage of Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) reforms; what the implications for the uplands of CAP reform will be; and if he will consider reintroducing headage payments.

David Heath: Scenarios are being developed on the impact of different rates of transfer from direct payments to the Rural Development Programme of the CAP. A formal consultation, which will cover this issue, will be undertaken in the near future.
	Under the Single Payment Scheme (SPS), the proportion of funds allocated to each region is broadly consistent with the historic distribution of agricultural subsidies. Hill farming plays a crucial role in maintaining the social, environmental and economic fabric of the uplands. It also has the potential to deliver ecosystems services. For these reasons, Ministers' initial view is that hill farming could be additionally supported through a level of redistribution of basic payments from the lowland region to the Severely Disadvantaged Areas (SDA) and moorland regions. We will welcome the views of consultees on this issue before we make a final decision.
	We have the option to use a proportion of the amount available for direct payments to fund coupled support schemes to maintain levels of production in certain sectors; 'headage payments' would be an example of such payments. A key achievement of the 2005 reform of the CAP was a progressive move away from coupled support schemes in order to promote a more market oriented farm sector, and in England the last coupled schemes ended in 2011. Ministers' initial view is not to reintroduce any coupled support schemes.

Food: Production

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what proportion of food consumed in the UK was produced in the UK in (a) 1997 and (b) 2010; what estimate he has made of the likely proportion for (i) 2013 and (ii) 2023; and if he will make a statement.

David Heath: The proportion of UK food consumption produced in the UK was 58% in 1997 and 51% in 2010.
	The latest available figures for 2012 give the proportion as 53%.
	A full time series from 1988 to 2012 is available in Chapter 14 of the publication 'Agriculture in the United Kingdom' at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/agriculture-in-the-united-kingdom
	We do not make estimates for future years. Meaningful and accurate estimates of domestic production food are difficult to calculate and would run the risk of influencing commodity markets.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Afghanistan

Toby Perkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he has taken to secure the closure of Guantanamo Bay.

Alistair Burt: The British Government is committed to assisting the US in its aim to close Guantanamo Bay. We have made a significant contribution to reducing the number of detainees by taking back nine UK nationals and, exceptionally, five former legal residents. The Government continues to make clear to the US that we want Shaker Aamer released and returned to the UK.

Bahrain

Katy Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the treatment of Ms Rayhana Almosawi while in custody in Bahrain.

Alistair Burt: We are concerned by allegations that Ms Rayhana Almosawi has been mistreated while in detention, The Government stands firmly against torture and cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment or punishment. We have consistently made clear our absolute opposition to such behaviour. We urge the Bahraini authorities to investigate any allegation of mistreatment promptly, thoroughly, and impartially.

Bahrain

Katy Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will hold discussions with his Bahraini counterparts on ensuring that Hasan Mushaima has access to appropriate medical treatment.

Alistair Burt: We have previously raised the issue of access to medical treatment for detainees in this case with the Government of Bahrain. Allegations that Hasan Mushaima is being denied medical treatment are very worrying if true. We expect the Government of Bahrain to meet all of its human rights obligations, and ensure all defendants have access to the medical care they require. The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs raised human rights with the Bahraini Crown Prince in May, and we will continue to pursue a policy of direct and frank engagement.

Billing

Nick de Bois: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many creditors to his Department owed more than £10,000 remained unpaid for more than (a) 30 days, (b) 45 days, (c) 60 days, (d) 75 days and (e) more than 90 days in each of the last three years.

David Lidington: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) policy is to pay 80% of all undisputed UK invoices within 5 working days of receipt of invoice. This target has been met in each of the last 12 months, with an average of 86.4% having been achieved across that period.
	In each of the last three financial years, the number of creditors with outstanding invoices over £10,000 remaining unpaid for the time periods outlined by my hon. Friend were as follows:
	FY 2010-11
	(a) 165;
	(b) 62;
	(c) 39;
	(d) 23;
	(e ) 20.
	FY 2011-12
	(a) 328;
	(b) 138;
	(c) 64;
	(d) 27;
	(e) 20.
	FY 2012- 13
	(a) 176;
	(b)79;
	(c) 46;
	(d) 31;
	(e) 20.
	Where there is a prolonged delay in payment of an invoice, it usually results from provision of incorrect information by a supplier, resulting in an unresolved discrepancy.
	This response relates to the UK only. Information regarding invoices paid by the FCO overseas is not held centrally, and could be supplied only at disproportionate cost.

Bosnia and Herzegovina

Bob Stewart: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of efforts by the EU to create a lasting political solution in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

David Lidington: The Government believes that membership of the EU remains the best way to ensure a lasting political solution in Bosnia and Herzegovina. We fully support the EU's work in Bosnia and Herzegovina towards this goal, including through the efforts of the EU Special Representative (EUSR) to Bosnia and Herzegovina. As made clear in the Conclusions at the Foreign Affairs Council in July, the EUSR commands the support of all member states to facilitate talks aimed at resolving the Sejdic-Finci constitutional issue. The onus remains on Bosnia's leaders to deliver on this reform soon so that the Stabilisation and Association Agreement with the EU can come into force, thus paving the way for Bosnia and Herzegovina to apply for EU membership.

China

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the role of China in negotiations towards a new international agreement on climate change.

Hugo Swire: China, along with all other Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, has agreed to work towards a new, global and legally binding climate deal by 2015. Achieving a strong global agreement which binds all countries, including China, to implement emissions reductions commitments remains a UK priority. Discussions to date have seen Parties working constructively together.

China

Gordon Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether the UK Government provided any names for the invitation list for the business networking reception attended by the Minister for External Affairs from the Scottish Government in Shenzen on 26 June 2013.

Hugo Swire: The business networking reception held in Shenzhen on 26 June 2013 was organised by Scottish Development International. The UK Trade & Investment team at our consulate-general in Guangzhou did suggest some companies that could be invited. However, we understand that hone of the companies suggested by our consulate were able to attend the event.

China

Gordon Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what items of business were discussed by the Minister for External Affairs of the Scottish Government and the British Ambassador in Beijing on 25 June 2013.

Hugo Swire: The Scottish Government Minister for External and Cultural Affairs, Mr Humza Yousaf, and our ambassador in Beijing discussed the promotion of Scottish economic interests in China, including and whether Scotland can assist with China's environmental agenda. They also discussed workers' rights and development of a national human rights organisation in China.

China

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with his Chinese counterpart on steps to assist British businesses to operate in China without engaging in bribery or other corrupt practices.

Hugo Swire: All British companies are subject to the UK Bribery Act when operating overseas. We also expect them to operate within the law of the host country at all times.
	When the UK Bribery Act came into force, officials in China engaged in a number of discussions with British businesses about the implications of the Act for business operations in China. We expect UK companies overseas to operate within the law of both the UK and the host country.

Corruption

Pauline Latham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what resources his Department is spending on tackling corruption overseas.

Hugo Swire: This Government is committed to tackling the problem of overseas corruption. As part of that effort the Foreign and Commonwealth Office has focused on dealing with the obstacles to UK firms operating in emerging markets. This financial year we are spending over £2 million on bilateral projects that focus specifically on anti-corruption and transparency, all of which form part of our wider effort to promote a rules based international economic system. Following our successful G8 agenda, we are also working multilaterally to promote transparency, including through our co-Chairmanship this year of the Open Government Partnership.

Council of Europe Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence Against Women and Domestic Violence

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with other signatories to the Istanbul Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence against Women and Domestic Violence on ratification of that Convention.

Jeremy Browne: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Home Department.
	The Home Office leads on the Istanbul Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence against Women and Domestic Violence, which the UK signed on 8 June 2012. I met with the Turkish Minister of Family and Social Policies earlier this year to discuss approaches to tackling violence against women and girls, which included progress towards ratifying the Istanbul Convention.

European Union

Emma Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when the first reports of the Government's Balance of Competences Review will be published.

David Lidington: The first set of reports were published on 22 July.

European Union

Emma Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to his written statement of 14 May 2013, Official Report, column 32WS on Balance of Competences Review, for what reason the first six first semester reports of the Balance of Competences Review were not published in early summer.

David Lidington: The first set of reports were published on 22 July in line with our commitment to publish them in summer.

European Union

Emma Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many civil servants currently work full-time on the Government's Balance of Competences Review.

David Lidington: Departments provide appropriate levels of staffing to their parts of this exercise, as with any other issue. We will provide value for money for the taxpayer, while ensuring that resources are sufficient to make this a thorough exercise.

Hong Kong

Gordon Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether the UK Government provided any names for the invitation list for the Globalscots and key contacts dinner attended by the Minister for External Affairs of the Scottish Government in Hong Kong on 27 June 2013.

Hugo Swire: The UK Government did not provide any names for the GlobalScots and key contacts dinner.

Hong Kong

Gordon Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what items of business were discussed by the Minister for External Affairs of the Scottish Government and the British Consul-General in Hong Kong on 27 June 2013.

Hugo Swire: The Scottish Government Minister for External and Cultural Affairs, Mr Humza Yousaf, and our consul general in Hong Kong discussed political and economic developments in the territory, cultural and heritage links between Scotland and Hong Kong and growing business opportunities in the context of "One Country, Two Systems". They also discussed Hong Kong's continued strategic importance as a business and technology bridge to mainland China.

Israel

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the likelihood of the Government of Israel having a nuclear weapons programme; and if he will make a statement.

Alistair Burt: We have regular discussions with the Government of Israel on a wide range of nuclear-related issues. Israel has not declared a nuclear weapons programme. We encourage Israel to sign up to the non-proliferation treaty and call on them to agree a Comprehensive Safeguards Agreement with the International Atomic Energy Agency.

Malaysia

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will respond to the postcards submitted through the British High Commission in Kuala Lumpur by Malaysians on 18 June 2013 calling on the Government to take responsibility for the killings at Batang Kali in December 1948.

Hugo Swire: Our high commissioner to Kuala Lumpur received the postcards in person on 18 June. We have not responded directly to the postcard campaign as legal proceedings are ongoing, we are limited in what we can say at this time, but we note the content of the postcards and the aim of the campaign.

Methanol: Poisoning

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he is taking to warn UK nationals of the dangers presented by methanol poisoning in (a) Indonesia, (b) Bali and (c) other countries with high levels of methanol poisoning.

Hugo Swire: While the vast majority of alcoholic drinks purchased in reputable bars, hotels and shops in Indonesia and the region do not pose a danger there have been a number of deaths and cases of serious illness caused by methanol poisoning. This was highlighted in April following the tragic death of British backpacker Cheznye Emmons who died as a result of drinking gin contaminated with methanol in Medan, Indonesia.
	We warn UK nationals of the dangers posed by methanol poisoning via the Foreign and Commonwealth Office country travel advice on the gov.uk website.
	www.gov.uk
	We encourage the travelling public to consult country travel advice via our ‘Know Before You Go’ advertising campaign.
	The travel advice for Indonesia/Bali contains the following warning:
	“There have been a number of deaths and cases of serious illness of locals and foreigners in Indonesia caused by drinking alcoholic drinks contaminated with methanol. Many of these cases have occurred in bars and shops in tourist areas. Seek local advice about reputable shops, bars and brands and take care when purchasing drinks, as bottles may appear to be genuine when they are not.
	There have also been cases of methanol poisoning from drinking adulterated arak/arrack, a local rice or palm liquor. Make sure cocktails are prepared in your sight and do not leave drinks unattended as there have been reports of drink-spiking in clubs and nightspots. If you or someone you're travelling with show signs of methanol poisoning or drink-spiking, seek immediate medical attention”.
	We include information and advice in other country travel advice pages where we are aware that methanol poisoning poses a significant risk. We currently have such advice in our travel advice for Vietnam and the Czech Republic.

Nature Conservation: Crime

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs with reference to the May 2013 Resolution by the UN Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice on the categorisation of wildlife and forest crime as a serious form of organised crime, what discussions he has had with his European counterparts on the utilisation of the Instrument for Stability to tackle wildlife trafficking; and if he will make a statement.

David Lidington: The Instrument for Stability is the EU's principal tool for pre-empting and responding to conflict in the wider world. Its funds are used for a large number of projects concerned with conflict resolution, response to security threats and the establishment of good international practices in terms of democracy, human rights and the rule of law. It operates in Africa, Eastern Europe, Latin America and Asia. None of the Instrument's current projects is explicitly concerned with wildlife and forestry protection. However most of the Instrument's work is designed to improve the capacity of authorities in fragile states to police their territories effectively, including the lawful use of natural resources. Wildlife poaching and trafficking and illegal logging undermine the rule of law and flourish in the types of lawless environments which the use of the Instrument is intended to improve. Negotiations between the Commission and the European Parliament as to the use of the Instrument's substantial resources during the next budgetary period—2014-20—are continuing. Some of the Instrument's resources from 2014 onwards may be allocated to climate change response, which might also improve the protection of forests and fragile habitats.

Occupied Territories

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs further to his response of 10 June 2013, Official Report, columns 85-86W, when the five IPCC master plans were sent to the Israeli road and water departments for comment; when the comments were received; and when the 60 day period for public objections commenced.

Alistair Burt: The International Peace and Cooperation Centre provide us with quarterly updates; however, we do not have access to the necessary level of detail to provide the information requested.

Occupied Territories

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs further to his response of 3 June 2013, Official Report, column 862W, whether any assessment of government indirect finance to Israeli settlements through (a) procurement, (b) tax benefits or (c) participation in bilateral programmes was made before 2005; and when any such assessment was made.

Alistair Burt: Due to the complexity and cost to the taxpayer, we have not made an assessment of possible indirect finance to Israeli settlements through the cited mechanisms before 2005.

Palestinians

Bob Blackman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer to Baroness Tonge of 30 July 2013, Official Report, House of Lords, column 294WA, on Palestine, if his Department will correct the figures given by Baroness Warsi regarding the number of Palestinian deaths attributed to Israeli intervention.

Alistair Burt: In a response, to a parliamentary question asked by the noble Baroness Tonge, the answer contained a clerical error.
	The answer should have stated:
	‘We have made no assessment of the number of non-violent protestors killed or injured in the Occupied Palestinian Territories since 2002.
	According to the website of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, 3,643 Palestinians have been killed by Israelis since 1 January 2005 in incidents directly related to the Israeli/Palestinian conflict in the West Bank and Gaza strip.'
	My noble Friend, the Senior Minister of State, the right hon. Baroness Warsi wrote to Baroness Tonge on 16 August, a copy of which was deposited in the House Library, informing her of the clerical error.

Palestinians

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs further to his response of 21 May 2013, Official Report, columns 679-80W, what progress has been made through the Israeli planning system on the 32 master plans since May 2013, including those deemed to have met the required technical standard in December 2012.

Alistair Burt: The International Peace and Cooperation Centre provide us with quarterly project updates. However, the most recent update we received, in June 2013, did not include information pertinent to this request.

Private Education

Pamela Nash: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much can be claimed by officials of his Department in support of the payment of private school fees; and what the average individual payment was in each year since May 2010.

Alistair Burt: Members of the Diplomatic Service must be prepared to serve anywhere in the world at any time during their career, sometimes at very short notice. Those who are parents are legally obliged to ensure that their children receive a full-time education. Where staff cannot or choose not to take their children overseas, we contribute through Continuity of Education Allowance (CEA) towards the costs of boarding school education for children up to the age of 18. provided that officers meet specific eligibility criteria. This enables the children to have stability and continuity of education, which is particularly important for secondary school age children. We provide financial support to all diplomatic staff, irrespective of grade, who serve overseas, to help enable them to meet this requirement.
	The FCO's financial support towards the cost of UK schooling for children of eligible staff is limited to term fees up to a ceiling. The ceiling for a senior boarding child is determined by an independent survey conducted annually by ECA International, which is used by public and private sector employers whose staff work across the world. The ceiling is reviewed each summer based on the results of the survey. Any changes to it, and to the lower ceiling for children of junior (prep) boarding age, come into effect in the following autumn school term. The maximum amount which may be claimed towards standard term fees for a senior boarding child for school year 2013-14 will be £9,285 per term. In 2012-13 it stood at £8,885 per term. Staff whose children attend more expensive schools must always pay the difference in cost of fees themselves.
	The average payments (to the nearest £) made by the FCO towards the costs of UK schooling in each of the last three financial years were:
	
		
			 £ 
			 Financial year (FY) Cost of CEA to FCO Average cost per staff claimant(1) Average cost per child(2) Fee ceiling for FY(3) 
			 2010-11 13,067,398 38,433 21,042. 24,812 
			 2011-12 15,448,371 33,878 21,546 25,390 
			 2012-13 14,926,061 33,769 21,323 26,347 
			 (1) The average cost per staff member in receipt of Continuity of Education Allowance (CEA) is derived from dividing the total cost of CEA during the financial year by the total number of claimants. (2) The average cost per child funded is derived from dividing the total cost of CEA during the financial year by the .total number of children funded. (3) The three terms of the school year are spread over two financial years. For example, the FY 2012-13 ceiling is the sum of the fee ceilings for summer and autumn term 2012 and spring term 2013.

Shaker Aamer

Toby Perkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with his American counterpart about the repatriation of Shaker Aamer to the UK from Guantanamo.

Alistair Burt: The British Government continues to make clear to the US that we want Mr Aamer released and returned to the UK as a matter of urgency. The Prime Minister raised Mr Aamer's case with President Obama during the G8 in Northern Ireland in June. The Prime Minister later wrote to President Obama reaffirming the importance the UK places on the request for Mr Aamer's release. The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), raised Mr Aamer's case with the US Secretary of State on two separate occasions in May.

Syria

David Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with members of the free Syrian Army about the welfare of Christians living in rebel-held areas of Syria.

Alistair Burt: We regularly engage with the Syrian National Coalition and the Supreme Military Council and continue to encourage them to respect all minority rights. The National Coalition has committed to reaching out to minorities and has made clear that there will be a place for all Syrians, regardless of ethnicity or religious belief, in a future Syria. At the Friends of Syria meeting in Istanbul on 20 April, the National Coalition set out clear commitments on reaching out to minorities and to guaranteeing the rights, interests and participation of all components of Syrian society. We continue to encourage the National Coalition to deliver on these principles and commitments.

Syria

David Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent reports he has received on the welfare of Christian communities in rebel-held areas of Syria.

Alistair Burt: We have serious concerns about rising sectarian tensions in Syria. The Assad regime's actions continue to-undermine the stability and security of Syria and therefore endanger all Syria's citizens, including Christians and other religious minorities. We regularly engage with the Syrian National Coalition and the Supreme Military Council and continue to encourage them to respect all minority rights. The National Coalition has committed to reaching out to minorities and has made clear that there will be a place for all Syrians, regardless of ethnicity or religious belief, in a future Syria. At the Friends of Syria meeting in Istanbul on 20 April, the National Coalition set out clear commitments on reaching out to minorities and to guaranteeing the rights, interests and participation of all components of Syrian society. We continue to encourage the National Coalition to deliver on these principles and commitments.

Syria

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether the Syrian opposition forces have requested any non-lethal chemical or biological defence equipment; and what such equipment has been provided in the last 12 months.

Alistair Burt: On 16 July 2013, the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), made a statement to Parliament on the provision of chemical weapons protective equipment to the Syrian opposition;
	“...we are exploring the possibility of supplying the Syrian Opposition protective equipment against chemical and biological weapons use and yesterday I laid a Minute before Parliament providing more detail on these plans. We plan to equip the moderate armed opposition with 5000 escape hoods, nerve-agent pre-treatment tablets (NAPs) and chemical weapons detector paper.”
	The package of chemical weapons protective equipment which the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs laid before the House just before the summer break has now arrived in the region and is ready for onward delivery to the opposition. This package includes 5,000 escape hoods, three colour detector paper and a stock of nerve agent pre treatment tablets for the moderate armed opposition.

Syria

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received of Syrian opposition forces using military equipment and armaments previously belonging to the Syrian Army in the last 12 months.

Alistair Burt: Due to the volatile situation on the ground, we are aware of the possibility that equipment belonging to the Syrian army may fall into the hands of Syrian opposition forces. However, we do not have specific data to be able to give a detailed assessment as to the exact nature of the equipment belonging to the Syria army which may or may not have been obtained by Opposition forces over the last 12 months. To date we have seen no credible reporting of chemical weapons use by anyone other than Assad's forces.
	In the Syrian National Coalition's declaration on 20 April, they committed to ensuring that
	“...weapons will not fall into the wrong hands”.
	In the same declaration, the Syrian Supreme Military Command (SMC), which operate under the civilian authority of the Coalition, committed to
	“upholding international humanitarian and human rights law.”,
	and that
	“...weapons and military equipment will be returned to the relevant and appropriate institutions upon the conclusion of the revolution”.

United Nations Committee On Decolonisation

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with his (a) French, (b) US and (c) New Zealand counterparts on winding up the United Nations Committee on Decolonisation.

David Lidington: There has been no recent ministerial engagement with counterparts in France, the US and New Zealand on winding up the UN Special Committee on Decolonisation.

BUSINESS, INNOVATION AND SKILLS

Arms Trade: Trade Fairs

Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether any representatives from (a) Syria and (b) Egypt (i) were invited to and (ii) will be attending the Defence and Security Equipment International exhibition in London in September 2013.

Michael Fallon: A full list of countries invited to and attending the Defence and Security Equipment International exhibition will be published at the start of the event. I can confirm that neither Syria nor Egypt has received an invitation from UKTI DSO to attend.

Business: Norfolk

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps his Department took to increase the level of access to credit for businesses in (a) North West Norfolk constituency and (b) Norfolk in the last year.

Michael Fallon: It is one of the Government's priorities to increase access to finance, in particular for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). The Funding for Lending Scheme is reducing the cost of lending to business and this was extended by a year in April, and will be made available to providers of asset backed, invoice and lease/hire financial products which will further boost the availability of credit to SMEs.
	Additionally, we have widened the scope of the existing Enterprise Finance Guarantee (EFG), which will for the first time, provide Government guarantees to facilitate the provision of additional trade credit. A nine month pilot started in April with Kingfisher plc, through their nationwide network of Screwfix and B&Q stores and the scheme is being expanded to include new providers.

Company Accounts

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what the Government's policy is on requiring UK-based companies to produce publicly-available financial reports on a country-by-country basis (a) as a UK-only initiative, (b) as a result of EU requirements and (c) as part of a wider international initiative.

Jo Swinson: Financial reporting can cover a number of areas, from tax to the payments made by companies for mining privileges. These are typically contained in companies' annual reports. These are available from Companies House or on the company's website.
	We have already committed to the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative that asks oil, gas, and mining companies to publish what they pay to governments. We have also recently made significant changes to the reporting framework in the UK to help improve transparency in annual reporting, by adopting new Narrative Reporting Regulations. Looking ahead, the Government will also be implementing the Capital Requirements Directive IV, which includes certain country-by-country reporting requirements for the banking sector.
	The Government has also used its G8 presidency to secure agreement that the OECD should develop a standard template for multinational companies to use to report high-level information of profits and taxes to the tax authorities of all countries in which they operate, enabling more effective identification of tax risks. This is being taken forward as part of the Action Plan on Base Erosion and Profit Shifting agreed by G20 Finance Ministers.
	At this stage, while we would need to consider further the practicalities and merits of additional financial reporting obligations, the Government is not minded to seek further changes requiring publically available financial reports.

Conditions of Employment: Scotland

Jim Sheridan: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether he has had discussions with the Cabinet Secretary for Finance, Employment and Sustainable Growth in Scotland on the use of zero-hour contracts for local authority staff in Scotland.

Jo Swinson: Neither Ministers or officials have had any discussions with the Cabinet Secretary for Finance, Employment and Sustainable Growth in Scotland on local authority use of zero-hour contracts.

Conditions of Employment: Scotland

Jim Sheridan: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills 
	(1)  what estimate he has made of the number of people who are (a) aged 18-24 and (b) over the age of 24 and on zero-hours contracts in (i) Paisley and Renfrewshire North constituency, (ii) Renfrewshire, (iii) Scotland and (iv) the UK;
	(2)  if he will estimate the average number of hours worked per week by people on zero-hours contracts.

Jo Swinson: According to data from the Labour Force Survey (LFS), the (non-seasonally adjusted) estimated number of people who say they are on zero hours contracts in the UK in the fourth quarter of 2012 who were (a) aged 18-24 was 81,000 and (b) aged over the age of 24 was 158,000. BIS has not made estimates of numbers on zero hours contracts below UK level as the sample sizes are too small to provide reliable estimates.
	Using LFS data it is estimated that people who said they were on zero hours contracts usually worked a mean average 25 hours per week and a median average 21 hours per week in the fourth quarter of 2012.
	The LFS also measures the actual hours worked during a reference week in the period the respondent was interviewed for. In the 4th quarter of 2012, the mean average actual hours for those who said they worked on zero hours contracts was 21 hours per week while the median average actual hours was 17 hours per week.
	The LFS is the largest household survey conducted in the UK, however the estimates are dependent on responses provided by individuals answering the survey.

Consumer Rights Bill (Draft)

Ann McKechin: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what submissions he has received either orally or in writing from the Scottish Government in relation to the draft Consumer Rights Bill.

Jo Swinson: Our consumer law reforms are the most fundamental reform of UK consumer rights in a generation and will set out in one place consumer rights if something goes wrong for goods, services and digital content. Regulation of the sale and supply of goods and services to consumers and regulation of anti-competitive practices are reserved under the Scotland Act 1998.
	Although the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, my right hon. Friend the. Member for Twickenham (Vince Cable), has not received any submissions from the Scottish Government in relation to the draft Bill, BIS officials are working very closely with officials in the Scottish Government to ensure the Bill works in Scotland in view of the different legal system and that it respects the devolution settlement. I expect this constructive dialogue to continue throughout the scrutiny process.

Copyright

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of any potential economic harm to creators under a private copying exception for lawfully-owned content.

Jo Swinson: The Government published an impact assessment on this exception, approved by the independent Regulatory Policy Committee and available at
	http://www.ipo.gov.uk/consult-ia-bis1055.pdf
	The impact assessment found that any potential economic harm caused to creators under the proposed narrow private copying exception is likely to be minimal.

Credit: Interest Rates

Ann McKechin: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what submissions he has received either orally or in writing from the Scottish Government in relation to regulation of the payday lending sector over the last 12 months.

Jo Swinson: I have received one written submission from the Scottish Government in relation to regulation of the payday lending sector over the last 12 months. I am due to meet with Fergus Ewing MSP from the Scottish Government shortly to discuss this topic.

Dementia

Julian Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how much the Medical Research Council spent on dementia research in (a) 2011-12 and (b) 2012-13; and what activities were funded by such spending.

David Willetts: The Medical Research Council (MRC) is one of the main agencies through which the Government support medical and clinical research.
	In 2011/12 the MRC spent £19.8 million on dementia research. Information on spend and activities for 2012/13 is not currently available.
	During 2012/13 the MRC has increased its activity in this area of research in response to the Prime Minister's Challenge on Dementia. Activities that have been initiated include:
	(i) £9.6 million is being provided by the MRC for a pilot study involving 8,000 volunteers as the first phase of a brain imaging programme that will ultimately scan the brains of 100,000 UK Biobank participants. In support of this, MRC and DH recently announced a £20 million investment to fully genotype the UK Biobank cohort, with a specific focus on determining the genetic profile of known risk factors that contribute to the development of the dementias.
	(ii) The provision of £3 million to promote the participation of UK groups in two major international funding initiatives focussed on dementia research—the Centres of Excellence in Neurodegeneration and Joint Programme on Neurodegenerative Diseases (JPND) initiatives.
	(iii) A 50% increase in funding for neuroscience research including dementia in the world-leading MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, which in summer 2012 received an expanded budget of £49 million over the next five years.
	(iv) MRC provides approximately £1 million per annum as core support to four Banks and co-ordination activity within the UK network of 10 brain banks. This funding was recently renewed. During 2012 an additional £0.5 million was provided to improve the process for donation of brain tissue by meeting the costs of collecting brain tissue through the NHS, so smoothing the pathway to donation. In conjunction with publicity regarding donation, this has led to an increase of 18% in the number of brains collected by the Network.
	(v) An investment of £4.5 million in three new therapeutic programmes seeking to evaluate the ‘repurposing' of existing drugs for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease.
	Spend on these activities and other initiatives on dementia research during 2012-13 will be available later this year.
	A list of research activities supported by the MRC in 2011/12 will be placed in the Libraries of the House.

Financial Services: Regulation

Ann McKechin: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent representations he has made to the Financial Conduct Authority on the regulation of continuous payment authorities operated by high cost credit providers and debt management companies.

Jo Swinson: Government Ministers and officials engage with a wide variety of organisations in the public and private sectors, as part of the process of policy development and delivery.
	The Financial Conduct Authority attended the Payday Lending Summit I convened in July. At this event we discussed a range of issues, including continuous payment authorities.

Minimum Wage

David Lammy: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many names of employers found to have breached the provisions of legislation on the national minimum wage (a) nationally and (b) in London have been published under his Department's scheme to name such employers since its inception in January 2011.

Jo Swinson: Since the scheme was introduced we have named one person; Mrs Rita Patel, a hair and beauty salon owner, trading as Treena Professional Hair & Beauty in Leicester. She did not pay £3,361.22 in outstanding arrears of the national minimum wage (NMW) to a former worker following an investigation by HM Revenue and Customs.
	The Government announced on 23 August that the Naming scheme will be revised so that any employer issued with a final Notice of Underpayment (NoU) by HM Revenue and Customs and found to be in breach of national minimum wage law will be named in all but exceptional circumstances.
	The revised scheme which will come into effect on 1 October 2013, reduces previous restrictions on who can be named under the scheme and is one part of Government efforts to toughen up enforcement and increase compliance with NMW law. Negative publicity will become an additional deterrent to employers who would otherwise be tempted not to pay the NMW. This is on top of financial penalties which employers already face if they fail to pay NMW.

National Careers Service

Tristram Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many (a) telephone calls, (b) web chats, (c) texts and (d) e-mails from young people aged 13 to 18 years old have been handled by the National Careers Service in each month since April 2012.

Matthew Hancock: The National Careers Service offers careers information and advice to adults and young people, through a website and helpline service. Adults can also access guidance services on a face-to-face basis with an adviser.
	A dedicated helpline provides young people between the ages of 13 and 18 years old with a variety of services, including advice via phone, web chat, text and e-mail.
	The following table shows the phone call, web chat, text and e-mail activity carried out by the National Careers Service Young People's Contact Centre broken down by month since April 2012.
	
		
			  Phone calls Webchat Text E-mail 
			 April 2012 2,976 2,827 216 607 
			 May 2012 3,329 2,526 221 503 
			 June 2012 3,169 2,441 147 531 
			 July 2012 3,189 2,490 131 542 
			 August 2012 4,257 2,977 120 668 
			 September 2012 3,977 3,173 128 665 
			 October 2012 2,822 2,864 165 555 
			 November 2012 2,224 1,971 90 425 
			 December 2012 1,177 1,057 85 201 
			 January 2013 2,256 1,747 150 390 
			 February 2013 2,071 1,433 84 308 
			 March 2013 2,113 1,286 110 439 
			 April 2013 1,981 1,089 71 402 
			 May 2013 1,907 1,073 68 429 
			 June 2013 2,491 1,311 78 339 
			 July 2013 2,592 1,206 85 402 
			 Total 42,531 31,471 1,949 7,406

Office for National Statistics

Jim Sheridan: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether he has recently discussed with the Office for National Statistics (ONS) the (a) accuracy of workforce statistics and (b) collaboration by ONS with other bodies when collecting such statistics.

Jo Swinson: The Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, my right hon. Friend the Member for Twickenham (Vince Cable), has not had any discussions with the Office for National Statistics (ONS) about its statistics. Such discussions generally take place at official level.
	Officials within the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) regularly meet with ONS officials to discuss the quality and coverage of ONS's labour market statistics, both at cross-Government meetings and at bi-lateral meetings between BIS labour market analysts and ONS officials working on labour market statistics.

Overseas Investment: Mozambique

Ian Davidson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to the answer of 18 July 2013, Official Report, columns 919-20W on Overseas Investment: Mozambique, which companies UK Trade and Investment has supported in Mozambique since May 2010.

Michael Fallon: In autumn 2012, UK Trade and Investment (UKTI) reopened its office in Maputo with a full-time trade adviser to deliver the full range of UKTI services in-country. UKTI has subsequently provided support to a range of UK companies across the energy, infrastructure, healthcare and agriculture sectors. More than 50 UK small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are currently engaged with UKTI in developing their business in Mozambique.
	In addition, UKTI's High Value Opportunities (HVO) programme, which helps UK-based firms to capitalise on major projects worldwide, has identified a major Eastern Africa Oil and Gas project that will provide further opportunities for UK companies from the energy supply chain.

Overseas Investment: Mozambique

Ian Davidson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to the answer of 18 July 2013, Official Report, columns 919-20W on Overseas Investment: Mozambique, what assessment he has made of the value of business achieved by UK companies assisted by UK Trade and Investment in Mozambique since May 2010.

Michael Fallon: UK Trade and Investment (UKTI) re-established its office in Mozambique in the autumn of 2012. UKTI's High Value Opportunities (HVO) programme that helps UK-based firms to capitalise on major projects worldwide, will support UK companies in pursuing opportunities in the energy, oil and gas supply chain. UKTI continually assesses its performance: it is currently brokering contracts in Mozambique on behalf of UK business and will assess its impact in due course.

Pay

Harriett Baldwin: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate he has made of the number of businesses paying salaries between the value of the minimum wage and £7.45 per hour; and how many workers would be in receipt of such a salary.

Nick Hurd: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Cabinet Office.
	The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Glen Watson, dated July 2013
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what estimate he has made of the number of businesses paying salaries between the value of the minimum wage and £7.45 per hour; and how many workers would be in receipt of such a salary. (166002)
	The Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE), carried out in April each year, is the most comprehensive source of earnings information in the United Kingdom. Hourly levels of earnings are estimated from ASHE, and are provided for employees on adult rates of pay, whose earnings for the survey pay period were not affected by absence. It is not possible to estimate the number of jobs with hourly pay between specified thresholds using ASHE data, though it is possible to estimate the corresponding proportions of jobs. There is no data source from which to make corresponding estimates for the number or proportion of businesses.
	The latest ASHE data are for April 2012. The table shows the proportion of employee jobs with hourly earnings between the minimum wage as applied at April 2012 and £7.45.
	I note that £7.45 is the current rate suggested by the Living Wage Foundation for a UK living wage. The corresponding rate at April 2012 was £7.20. I have therefore also provided an answer which shows the proportion of employee jobs with earnings between the value of the minimum wage and £7.20 in April 2012.
	
		
			 Proportion of employee jobs(a) paid at or above the National Minimum Wage(b) (NMW) and less than a) £7.45 and b) £7.20 in April 2012 
			  Proportion of employee jobs (per cent) 
			 Hourly rate  
			 > NMW(b) and < £7.45 19.8 
		
	
	
		
			 > NMW(b) and < £7.20 17.5 
			 (a) Employees on adult rates whose pay for the survey pay period was not affected by absence. (b) In April 2012 the National Minimum Wage was £3.68 per hour for employees under age 18, £4.98 for employees between 18 and 20 years old and £6.08 for employees aged 21 and over. Source: Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE), Office for National Statistics

Royal Mail: Theft

Paul Beresford: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many thefts were recorded from the Royal Mail delivery service in each of the last three years.

Michael Fallon: Recording thefts is the operational responsibility of Royal Mail.
	I have therefore asked the chief executive of Royal Mail, Moya Greene, to respond directly to the hon. Member and a copy of her reply will be placed in the Libraries of the House.

Written Questions

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will make it his policy to ensure that all answers provided by his Department containing tables of statistical data which would not require more than four pages in the Official Report are published in full rather than by reference to a hyperlink.

Jo Swinson: As indicated in my reply to the hon. Member’s parliamentary question (166852) on 2 September 2013, Official Report, column reference 144W, the Department normally includes statistical data in the text of the answer. However, in some cases the Department considers there to be benefits in providing a hyperlink, for example where a website provides a reader with web links related to the topic. I also refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 17 July 2013, Official Report, column reference 686W.

DEFENCE

Afghanistan

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  what duty of care his Department owes to (a) soldiers and (b) medical auxiliaries who have left military service after one or more tour of duty in Afghanistan; and what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the delivery of this duty of care;
	(2)  what recent assessment he has made of the effect of post-traumatic stress disorder on the ability of former services personnel to reintegrate into civilian life.

Mark Francois: The Ministry of Defence (MOD) takes the health of its personnel seriously, regardless of whether serving personnel or veterans have undertaken an operational tour. We work hard to continually improve health care and have taken steps to improve awareness of care, including the implementation of Trauma Risk Management, a team of mental health nurses in Afghanistan and the use of decompression after deployments. Veterans can access the Veterans Welfare Service which provides free, confidential and personal advice on a variety of financial, health, employment and welfare issues.
	We work closely with the Department of Health and the NHS to improve the transfer of service personnel medical records on discharge. This will facilitate GPs awareness of new patients; enabling more proactive monitoring of veterans' mental health and help them receive entitlement to priority treatment where their health problems are related to service.
	Mental health services for veterans have improved through the successful implementation of all 13 recommendations contained in Dr Andrew Murrision's 2010, “Fighting Fit” report. NHS services are complemented by our Veterans and Reserves Mental Health Programme which offers specialist mental health assessments for individuals with operational service since 1982 and Reservists with operational service since 2003. We are not, however, complacent about the support we provide to veterans.
	In 2012 Lord Ashcroft was appointed as Special Representative for Veterans Transition. In this role he will provide the MOD with advice on how we can further support those leaving the armed forces. It is expected that Lord Ashcroft will produce an interim report to the Secretary of State for Defence by the end of 2013, with more comprehensive recommendations being made during 2014.

Afghanistan

Ivan Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether recruits at the Afghan National Army Officer Academy receive training on UN Security Council Resolution 1325.

Andrew Robathan: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 1 July 2013, Official Report, column 395W, to the hon. Member for Oldham East and Saddleworth (Debbie Abrahams).

Afghanistan

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 10 June 2013, Official Report, column 5W, on Afghanistan, if he will make it his policy to engage with the review of criteria required to establish positive identification and determination of status undertaken by international forces in Afghanistan. [R]

Andrew Robathan: The Ministry of Defence has no current plans to formulate policy on reviewing the criteria required to establish positive identification and determination of status undertaken by international forces in Afghanistan. ISAF and UK forces have strict operating procedures to minimise the risk of civilian casualties, for investigating any incidents that do occur and learning the lessons from them. We remain confident that these processes remain sufficiently robust to identify and determine the status of targets and fully meet our obligations under international law.

Afghanistan

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether his Department holds information on how many occasions US pilots have flown Reapers in the launch and recovery phase in Afghanistan. [R]

Andrew Robathan: The information is not held in the format requested.
	All UK sorties are launched and recovered by the United States Air Force (USAF) 62 Expeditionary Response Squadron (62 ERS). 62 ERS launch UK and US Reapers and are manned on a 24 hour basis by both UK and USAF personnel.

Afghanistan

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what information his Department holds on the recording of casualties from drone strikes in Afghanistan; and if he will place in the Library copies of any such information. [R]

Andrew Robathan: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 17 December 2012, Official Report, column 601W, and to the answer my predecessor, the hon. Member for North Devon (Sir Nick Harvey), gave to the hon. Member for Birmingham, Hall Green (Mr Godsiff) on 26 June 2012, Official Report, column 187W.

Armed Forces: Carbon Emissions

David Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps his Department is taking to reduce carbon emissions by the armed forces.

Mark Francois: The Ministry of Defence (MOD) has set itself the target of reducing the armed forces reliance on fossil fuels for equipment by 18%. The MOD is on track to achieve this by the target year of financial year 2020-21.
	Steps undertaken by the MOD to reduce carbon emissions on the Defence estate include a range of energy efficiency measures such as installing heating controls, lighting controls and energy efficient lighting, insulation and building energy management systems.
	The MOD has a green electricity supply to sites in the UK and Germany, and is developing renewable energy systems, alongside combined heat and power units, to provide on-site low-carbon energy supplies.

Armed Forces: Sexual Offences

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 20 May 2013, Official Report, column 495W, on armed forces: sexual offences, 
	(1)  what options are available to a commanding officer where they receive allegations relating to sexual offences not listed in schedule 2 to the Armed Forces Act 2006; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what forms of redress are available to armed forces personnel who make allegations of sexual offences not listed in schedule 2 to the Armed Forces Act 2006 if a commanding officer (a) decides not to investigate that allegation and (b) does not refer the allegation to the service police; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Francois: I will write to the hon. Member on this matter shortly.

Armed Forces: Travel

Caroline Dinenage: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  if he will estimate the potential cost savings of allowing service personnel to travel from Gosport to Portsmouth for work by ferry rather than car;
	(2)  whether his Department plans to extend the provision of travel expenses to service personnel who choose to commute to work from Gosport to Portsmouth using the Gosport Ferry instead of travelling by car;
	(3)  what estimate he has made of the annual costs to his Department of service personnel commuting to work from Gosport to Portsmouth.

Mark Francois: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave on 31 January 2013, Official Report, column 881W.
	Service personnel may travel from Gosport to Portsmouth by any means of transport they choose but there are at present no plans to revisit this decision to remove reimbursement of the Gosport Ferry costs from the Department's travel regulations. To do so would not result in any savings as the cost to the Department of the concession under the home to duty travel allowance for personnel to claim for travel on the Gosport Ferry is some £20 more expensive per claim per month than the payment of the allowance for car drivers.
	Information on home to duty expenses is not held to the level of detail required to establish the annual costs requested. To identify journey details or mode of transport would require scrutiny of individual records and this information could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Armoured Fighting Vehicles

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  if he will estimate the value of the (a) Challenger, (b) Warrior, (c) Bulldog, (d) Stormer, (e) Snatch 2 Land Rover, (f) RWMIK Land Rover, (g) Vector, (h) Viking BVS10, (i) Mastiff, (j) Panther, (k) Foxhound, (l) Husky, (m) Warthog, (n) Wolfhound, (o) Scimitar, (p) Spartan, (q) Jackal and (r) Coyote vehicle fleets; and how large each such fleet is;
	(2)  if he will estimate the value of the (a) Land Rover battlefield ambulance, (b) M3, (c) Titan armoured bridge launcher, (d) Challenger armoured repair and recovery vehicle, (e) BR90 bridge vehicle, (f) Terrier, (g) Trojan, (h) Python, (i) heavy equipment transporter, (j) Demountable rack offload and pickup system and (k) all-terrain mobility platform vehicle fleets; and how large each such fleet is.

Philip Dunne: The current value of each equipment fleet is shown in the table. The values reflect the Net Book Value (NBV) of the fleet; they do not include future deliveries or assets in the course of construction, or associated munition costs. NBV is calculated by adding the cost of any historic major upgrades to the original capital cost of each asset and deducting depreciation to reflect the decrease in value of an asset over time.
	The values quoted bear no relation to the replacement costs of the assets and capabilities, nor can they be used to calculate an accurate NBV per piece of equipment. NBVs have not been provided for the Foxhound and Terrier fleets, which are still being delivered, as the release of these figures would provide the means to calculate the Unit Purchase Costs. I am withholding this information as its disclosure would prejudice commercial interests.
	
		
			 Equipment type Fleet Size Total NBV (to nearest £ million) 
			 Challenger 2 MBT 227 336 
			 Warrior 781 339 
			 Bulldog 895 27 
			 Stormer 62 67 
			 Snatch 2 Land Rover 364 8 
			 RWMIK Land Rover 371 21 
			 Vector 153 29 
			 Viking 99 72 
			 Mastiff 442 253 
			 Panther 401 99 
			 Foxhound 292 — 
			 Husky 327 29 
			 Warthog 115 122 
			 Wolfhound 126 118 
			 Scimitar 201 20 
			 Spartan 276 12 
			 Jackal 425 51 
			 Coyote 71 12 
			 Battlefield Amb 116 0.09 
			 M3 38 8 
			 Titan 33 103 
			 CRARRV 75 43 
			 BR90 139 19 
			 Terrier 23 — 
			 Trojan 33 106 
			 Python (trailer) 53 (1)— 
			 HET 91 (2)— 
			 DROPS 1,217 19 
			 ATMP 0 0 
			 (1) Information not held. (2) £0—provided under Private Finance Initiative.

Cheshire Regiment

Bob Stewart: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps he has taken to ensure the survival of Regimental Headquarters of the Cheshire Regiment, at Chester Castle, following the amalgamation of the 22nd (Cheshire) Regiment in the Mercian Regiment. [R]

Andrew Robathan: The former Regimental Headquarters of the Cheshire Regiment is now the Chester Outstation of the Mercian Regimental HQ, providing a valuable link to the civic authorities and wider public, serving as an organisational centre for the Cheshire Regimental Association and as a management structure for the Cheshire Military Museum.
	The outstation is housed in Chester castle which is also home to the Cheshire Military Museum.

Iraq

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many RAF personnel were embedded with the US Air Force in Iraq in each year since 2003. [R]

Andrew Robathan: The information requested is not held centrally. To retrieve this information would require searching personnel files back to 2003, which could be achieved only at disproportionate cost.

Libya

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence on how many occasions UK forces flew drones as part of Operation Ellamy; and how many people were recorded as having been (a) killed and (b) injured as a result of those missions. [R]

Andrew Robathan: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 21 November 2012, Official Report, column 494W, to my hon. Friend the Member for Gillingham and Rainham (Rehman Chishti). UK personnel embedded with United States forces contributed to around 200 armed remotely piloted air system missions as part of the NATO mission in support of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1973.
	The Government do not record total figures for casualties, whether civilian or otherwise, caused by UK forces because of the immense difficulty and risks that would be involved in collecting robust data. This was particularly the case for Operation Ellamy, without contemporaneous verification from within Libya. The UK and NATO were committed to enforcing the UN mandate to protect civilians. Operations were only conducted against legitimate military targets and the utmost care was taken to avoid civilian casualties at all times.

Mali

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many UK personnel deployed to the European Union Training Mission in Mali are tasked with providing information or advice on the use of drones. [R]

Andrew Robathan: None.

Mali

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has to provide training to the African-led International Support Mission to Mali on drones. [R]

Andrew Robathan: We have no plans to provide such training.

Military Aid

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what military equipment his Department has donated to other nations in each of the last three years; and what estimate he has made of the value of such equipment.

Philip Dunne: Gifts of military equipment to other nations are made where it is in the UK's defence and security interests to do so. This could be to help fill a capability gap or in support of peacekeeping operations. All gifts made to other nations are assessed against the Consolidated EU and National Arms Export Licensing Criteria.
	Military equipment gifted to overseas Governments in the last three financial years by the Ministry of Defence has been as follows:
	Medical equipment, training equipment, personal protection equipment, trucks, trailers and other vehicles, vehicle maintenance and recovery equipment, navigation aids, weapons and ammunition, a Harrier GR3 aircraft, a Jaguar aircraft, uniforms, EOD suits, fibre glass helmets and body armour, sangars, IT and telecommunications equipment, a toilet block, musical instruments, stationery, a General Purpose Test Facility, an ammunition supply point, a generator, a lifeboat, a small arms trainer and shears.
	The value of these gifts was £2,144,052 in 2010-11, £390,629 in 2011-12 and £711,524 in 2012-13. In the previous two years the value of gifts was £329,612 in 2008-09 and £631,308 in 2009-10.

Military Aircraft

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will estimate the value of the (a) Reaper, (b) Chinook, (c) Merlin, (d) Puma, (e) Sea King, (f) Apache, (g) Lynx Mk7, (h) Lynx Mk9/9a, (i) Gazelle, (j) Islander, (k) BAE 146, (l) BAE 125, (m) Vigilant, (n) Viking, (o) Lynx Mk8, (p) Lynx Mk3, (q) Rivet Joint, (r) Sentry, (s) Augusta, (t) Griffin HAR2 and (u) F-35 aircraft fleets.

Philip Dunne: The current value of each aircraft fleet is shown in the following table. The values reflect the Net Book Value (NBV) of the fleet; they do not include future deliveries or assets in the course of construction. NBV is calculated by adding the cost of any major upgrades to the original capital cost of each asset and deducting depreciation to reflect the decrease in value of an asset over time. The values quoted bear no relation to the replacement costs of the assets and capabilities, nor can they be used to calculate an accurate NBV per aircraft.
	
		
			 Aircraft Total NBV (£ million) 
			 Reaper 21 
			 Chinook 605 
			 Merlin 3,546 
			 Puma/Gazelle(1) 39 
			 Sea King 152 
			 Apache 2,096 
			 Lynx(2) 1,263 
			 Islander 0.079 
			 BAE 146 11 
			 BAE 125 4 
			 Vigilant 0.6 
			 Viking (3)0 
			 Sentry 387 
			 (1) The Puma fleet is currently undergoing a major upgrade programme and had no NBV prior to entering this. The upgraded aircraft are treated as assets in the course of construction until their initial release to service and, as yet, have no NBV. (2) Individual NBVs for each Lynx Mk are not recorded separately on the MOD asset register. The Lynx NBV includes Wildcat development costs and those Wildcat aircraft already delivered. (3) Due to their low value (their original cost was under £10,000 each), a NBV figure is not held for the Viking aircraft fleet. There are 82 aircraft in service. 
		
	
	The Agusta 109 and Griffin HAR2 aircraft are not owned by the Ministry of Defence (MOD). They are operated under a lease arrangement and are not therefore recorded as an asset on the MOD balance sheet. No NBV is available.
	The unit cost of each F-35B Lightning II and therefore the estimated cost of the fleet will be determined at its main investment decision point. To publish estimates prior to such decision points could prejudice the Department's commercial position.
	No Rivet Joint aircraft are in service, so a NBV figure is not yet available.

Navy: Cardiff

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  what plans he has for the future of HMS Cambria;
	(2)  which specific locations he has identified for a new Royal naval reserve centre in Cardiff; and if he will make a statement.

Andrew Robathan: HMS Cambria is currently planned to remain in its present location until 2016 when it will move to a new site in Cardiff. A naval presence will, however, remain in Barry, although it is too early to define what this will be.
	The Navy Command Maritime Reserves team is currently investigating a number of options for a new Royal Navy Reserve site in Cardiff but no specific locations have yet been identified.

Nuclear Weapons

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  how many nuclear emergency exercises have been held in each location in each of the last two years;
	(2)  which Ministry of Defence nuclear emergency exercises and at which location took place in Scotland in the last three years; which of these exercises were assessed as adequate demonstrations of the emergency response by regulators; and what the Defence Nuclear Safety Regulator's findings and observations were of each exercise.

Philip Dunne: Nuclear emergency exercises held in the last two years 2011 and 2012 are listed in the following table:
	
		
			 Location 2011 2012 2013 
			 Albemarle Barracks, Newcastle 0 1 0 
			 Atomic Weapons Establishment Aldermaston 1 1 0 
			 Atomic Weapons Establishment Burghfield 1 1 0 
			 BAE Systems Marine, Barrow 3 2 0 
			 Bramley Military Training Centre, Hampshire 0 1 1 
			 Defence Training Establishment, Caerwent, Monmouthshire 1 0 0 
			 Exercises at sea 1 1 1 
			 Her Majesty's Naval Base (HMNB) Clyde 4 1 0 
			 HMNB Clyde (Coulport) 1 0 1 
			 HMNB Clyde (Loch Goil) 0 0 1 
			 Devonport 1 1 0 
		
	
	
		
			 HMNB Gibraltar 1 1 0 
			 HMNB Portsmouth 1 1 0 
			 Loch Ewe, Aultbey 0 1 1 
			 Naval Support Facility, Diego Garcia 1 1 0 
			 Port of Southampton 0 1 0 
			 Portland Port, Dorset 0 0 1 
			 Rolls-Royce Marine Power Operations Raynesway, Derby 1 2 0 
			 Rosyth Royal Dockyard 1 1 0 
			 Royal Air Force Honington, Suffolk 1 1 0 
			 Royal Air Force Hullavington, Wiltshire 1 0 0 
			 Royal Air Force Upper Heyford, Oxfordshire 0 1 0 
			 Royal Naval Air Station (RNAS), Prestwick 2 0 0 
			 Vulcan Naval Reactor Test Establishment (NRTE) Dounreay 1 1 1 
			 Note: These figures include re-demonstration exercises 
		
	
	Nuclear emergency exercises held in Scotland during the three years 2010, 2011 and 2012 are as follows:
	
		
			 Exercise name Location Year Adequate demonstration 
			 Evening Star 10 HMNB Clyde 2010 Yes 
			 Lonestar 10 Vulcan NRTE Dounreay 2010 Yes 
			 Nightstar(1) Rosyth Royal Dockyard 2010 Yes 
			 Strathport 10 HMNB Clyde (Loch Goil) 2010 Yes 
			 Astral Climb 11 RNAS Prestwick 2011 Yes 
			 Bowline 11 HMNB Clyde 2011 Yes 
			 Bowline 11—Phase 1 Re-demonstration HMNB Clyde 2011 Yes 
			 Bowline 11—Phase 5 Demonstration HMNB Clyde 2011 Yes 
			 Evening Star 11 HMNB Clyde 2011 Yes 
			 Lonestar 11 Vulcan NRTE Dounreay 2011 Yes 
			 Nightstar(1) Rosyth Royal Dockyard 2011 Yes 
			 Senator 11 RNAS Prestwick 2011 Yes 
			 Sheetbend 10 HMNB Clyde (Coulport) 2011 Yes 
			 Highport 12 Loch Ewe, Aultbey 2012 No 
			 Lonestar 12 Vulcan NRTE Dounreay 2012 Yes 
			 Nightstar(1) Rosyth Royal Dockyard 2012 Yes 
			 Short Sermon 12 HMNB Clyde 2012 Yes 
			 Highport 12-Re-demonstration Loch Ewe, Aultbey 2013 Yes 
			 (1) Assessed by the Office for Nuclear Regulation not the Defence Nuclear Safety Regulator. 
		
	
	Nuclear emergency exercises form part of regular safety programmes to test and demonstrate the effectiveness of procedures, facilities, systems and equipment. An adequate demonstration means that the emergency arrangements meet the exceptionally high standards required for nuclear activities; any areas identified for improvement are acted on accordingly.
	The Defence Nuclear Safety Regulator's findings and observations of the exercises will be placed in the Library of the House following a review to identify whether any information in the reports needs to be withheld, consistent with the requirements of the Freedom of Information Act.

Nuclear Weapons

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  if he will estimate the value of all the nuclear warheads and their D5 delivery system in the UK's current arsenal;
	(2)  if he will estimate the value of Atomic Weapons Establishment.

Philip Dunne: As at 31 March 2013, the net book value of the nuclear warhead stockpile was £273.7 million, the D5 missile pool was £419.3 million, and the
	Atomic Weapons Establishment was £2,785.9 million.
	The net book values bear no relation to the replacement costs of the assets and capabilities.

Pakistan and Afghanistan

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 10 June 2013, Official Report, column 86W, on Pakistan and Afghanistan, what plans his Department has to undertake surveys in 2013 in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas on drone strikes. [R]

Andrew Robathan: As the Ministry of Defence only operates its fleet of unmanned aircraft systems in support of operations in Afghanistan, there are no plans to survey the Federally Administered Tribal Areas of Pakistan.

RAF Akrotiri

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what air-to-air refuelling assets will assist Typhoon aircraft stationed at RAF Akrotiri.

Andrew Robathan: There are currently two Tri-Star air-to-air refuelling aircraft at RAF Akrotiri.

RAF Akrotiri

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assets capable of suppression of enemy air defences missions are stationed at RAF Akrotiri.

Andrew Robathan: There are no UK aircraft currently based in RAF Akrotiri that are configured for the suppression of air defence systems.

Reserve Forces

Alan Beith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence with reference to the answer of 25 April 2013, Official Report, column 1280W, on reserve services, what changes have been made to the contract procedures followed by his Department as a result of lessons learned from the abandonment of the bidding process for the SAR-H competition in 2010; and whether he has concluded that any officials in his Department at the time have any responsibility for the improper release of information.

Philip Dunne: There have been a number of changes in Ministry of Defence (MOD) procedures and training following the termination of the Search and Rescue Helicopter (SAR-H) competition. These include changes to procedures regarding the control of sensitive information and to those governing the employment of current and former MOD personnel by industry. There has been no disciplinary action taken within the Department.

Reserve Forces

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how his Department plans to target cyber security experts for recruitment as reservists.

Andrew Robathan: The White Paper on reserves was launched on 3 July 2013.
	We are already recruiting reservists in both specialist and generalist roles including specifically into cyber roles. The recruitment campaign will continue throughout the autumn when the Secretary of State for Defence, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), expects to make an announcement on targeted recruitment.

Somalia

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether drone use by the British Army Training Unit Kenya has included surveillance over Somalia. [R]

Andrew Robathan: No.

Submarines

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will place copies of the Submarine Enterprise Performance Programme tier one contracts that have been signed in the Library.

Philip Dunne: I am withholding release of the contracts requested as their publication would, or would be likely to, prejudice commercial interests.

JUSTICE

Billing

Nick de Bois: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many creditors to his Department owed more than £10,000 remained unpaid for more than (a) 30 days, (b) 45 days, (c) 60 days, (d) 75 days and (e) more than 90 days in each of the last three years.

Helen Grant: The information requested is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. In common with other Government Departments, the annual report and accounts for the Ministry of Justice, which are available in the Libraries of both Houses, contain information on supplier payment performance.

Claims Management Services

Michael Crockart: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what progress has been made in bringing claims management companies under the jurisdiction of the Legal Ombudsman; and when this will take effect.

Helen Grant: The intention is that claims management complaints' handling is brought within the remit of the Office for Legal Complaints (OLC).
	We were aiming to do this by the end of 2013. However, in order to ensure that the Office for Legal Complaint's costs are recovered from the claims management companies and not the wider legal profession, primary legislation will be required. Until we secure a legislative vehicle we cannot commit to a specific timeline and the OLC is aware of the position.

Community Orders

Stephen McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the average level of fines paid by those who have been successful in having an uncompleted community order suspended has been in each of the last two years.

Helen Grant: It is not possible for HM Courts and Tribunals Service systems to identify the average fine amounts paid or identify fines which are paid by offenders who were also given community orders. This information could be provided only at disproportionate cost as it would require a manual search of all live and closed fine accounts.

Crown Courts: Leicester

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  how many trials have been adjourned more than once because no judge was available at Leicester Crown court in each of the last five years;
	(2)  how many murder trials have been adjourned because no judge was available at Leicester Crown court in each of the last five years;
	(3)  how many sexual assault trials have been adjourned because no judge was available at Leicester Crown court in each of the last five years;
	(4)  how many Crown court trials have been adjourned in each of the last five years due to no judge being available with less than 24 hours' notice, in each court;
	(5)  how many Crown court rape trials have been adjourned in each of the last five years due to no judge being available, in each court;
	(6)  how many Crown court sexual assault trials have been adjourned in each of the last five years due to no judge being available, in each court;
	(7)  how many Crown court murder trials have been adjourned in each of the last five years due to no judge being available, in each court;
	(8)  how many Crown court trials at each court have been adjourned more than once because of no judge being available in each of the last five years;
	(9)  how many trials at Leicester Crown court have been adjourned in each of the last five years because of no judge being available; and how many such trials were adjourned with less than 24 hours notice;
	(10)  how many rape trials at Leicester Crown court have been adjourned because of no judge being available in each of the last five years.

Helen Grant: The number of trial hearings which are considered ineffective due to ‘judge/magistrates availability’ is published by court as part of the National Statistics publication 'Court Statistics Quarterly'.
	The proportion of trials which are ineffective at the Crown court has remained stable between 2007 and 2012 at around 13%. The proportion of effective trials have increased since Q4 2010 (44%) to Q1 2013 (51%).
	We are overhauling the Criminal Justice System to make the court process swifter and more efficient and recently launched our 'CJS Strategy and Action Plan' which includes steps to address the number of cracked and ineffective trials including increasing digital working and improved case management of files.
	The number of trials is not currently collated by offence—the counting basis is such that for any hearing there may be multiple defendants appearing to be tried for multiple offences.
	The number of trials 'which have been adjourned more than once' is not currently collated—it is not possible to reliably track hearings listed by case using the current trial hearing reporting system.
	The average length of time taken from offence to completion for cases in the Crown court is published quarterly by court as part of the National Statistics publication 'Court Statistics Quarterly'.
	Published timeliness totals relate to all case outcomes (eg those acquitted as well as found guilty—it is not possible to discern the timeliness of trial only Crown court cases from this data.

Prisoners’ Release

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice on how many occasions those convicted of a serious specified violent or sexual offence for which the penalty is more than 10 year imprisonment have been released having not served 10 years of their sentence in prison in the last five years.

Jeremy Wright: Where the maximum penalty for an offence is 10 years' imprisonment, or more, the court may impose any sentence up to the maximum.
	Sentences of imprisonment for public protection (IPP) or an extended sentence for public protection (EPP), and their equivalents for offenders aged under 18, could only be imposed for specified violent and sexual offences listed in Schedule 15 to the Criminal Justice Act 2003, where the court also found the offender to be dangerous within the meaning of the provisions. An IPP sentence could only be imposed where the maximum penalty for the offence was 10 years, or more, and where the court considered that a life sentence was not appropriate or available. All offenders who have received a sentence of imprisonment or detention for public protection must serve the minimum custodial term imposed by the court, before being considered for release on licence by the Parole Board. These sentences were introduced in April 2005 and therefore no offender receiving an IPP sentence with a minimum term of 10 years would yet be eligible for release.
	Since July 2008, the court also had the discretion to impose an EPP sentence for an offence listed on Schedule 15, regardless of the maximum penalty, and where the offender was considered to be dangerous, or a standard determinate sentence. Offenders who received an EPP sentence since July 2008, are subject to automatic release at the half-way point of the custodial term. On release, an offender serving an EPP is on licence for the balance of the custodial term plus the full extended licence period imposed by the court, and may be recalled to custody. The table shows the figures for those released under an EPP, or young offender equivalent, where a custodial term of more than 10 years was imposed but where automatic release occurs before 10 years has been served.
	Offenders serving a standard determinate sentence are subject to automatic release having served one half of the custodial term with the rest of the sentence served on licence, and subject to recall to custody. Data on offenders released from determinate sentences for specified offences are not held centrally. A manual trawl of prisoner files would be required to obtain these data; this would incur disproportionate cost.
	Where an offender committed an offence prior to April 2005, the Criminal Justice Act 1991 and the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 apply. An offender serving a sentence of four years or more under the 1991 Act, regardless of the offence, is subject to release by the Parole Board between the one half and two-thirds point of the custodial term. On release, the licence period continues to the three-quarter point of the sentence. Under the 1998 Act, the court could impose an extended sentence where the offender was convicted of a sexual or violent offence. The custodial term of an extended sentence of more than four years would be served as under the 1991 Act provisions, and in addition the offender would be subject to an extended period on licence, commencing at the three-quarter point of the sentence.
	The Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012 replaced IPP and EPP sentences (and extended sentences under the 1998 Act) with extended determinate sentences and automatic life sentences. Under an extended sentence, the offender must serve at least two-thirds of the custodial term and, in serious cases, may serve the whole of the custodial term, before serving the rest of the sentence on licence. In addition, where the offender is convicted of a second very serious specified offence both of which merit a custodial term of 10 years or more, the court must impose a life sentence. These provisions were commenced in December 2012.

Public Services (Social Value) Act 2012

Chris White: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what steps his Department has taken to implement the Public Services (Social Value) Act 2012.

Helen Grant: In line with other Government Departments the MOJ Procurement Directorate issued Cabinet Office guidance regarding Public Services (Social Value) Act to MOJ commissioning teams and procurement staff.
	The guidance stipulates that before the procurement process begins, commissioners and procurers need to consider what is to be procured, its relevance, and how it may improve social, environmental and economic well being of areas in England and Wales. Considerations also need to be given as to how they might secure any such improvement and the possible need to consult.

Reoffenders

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many offenders released on licence following a life sentence have committed (a) homicide and (b) other offences in each of the last two years.

Jeremy Wright: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to him on 2 September 2013, Official Report, column 217W.

Sign Language

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what steps his Department is taking to ensure the services it offers are accessible to British Sign Language users.

Helen Grant: My Department recognises the importance of removing the barriers that deaf and hearing impaired people face, where they might otherwise be at a substantial disadvantage compared to the way others access a particular service.
	My Department is committed to meeting the needs of its service users, and endeavours to work with them to respond to their requirements. In cases where British Sign Language is the appropriate form of communication, my Department would look to provide an interpreter on request.

COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Billing

Nick de Bois: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many creditors to his Department owed more than £10,000 remained unpaid for more than (a) 30 days, (b) 45 days, (c) 60 days, (d) 75 days and (e) more than 90 days in each of the last three years.

Brandon Lewis: The number of creditors owed during the years specified, and meeting the criteria in terms of value and days elapsed between invoice receipt and credit to the supplier bank account, is shown in the following table:
	
		
			 Number of Creditors 
			 Financial year 30 to 44 days 45 to 59 days 60 to 74 days 75 to 89 days Over 90 days Total 
			 2010-11 35 15 10 1 8 69 
			 2011-12 12 1 2 0 0 15 
			 2012-13 6 0 0 1 1 8 
		
	
	The Department reports against the cross-Government prompt payment target of paying 80% of invoices within five days of receipt. Our performance has improved in each financial year since 2010.
	
		
			 Financial year Percentage of invoices paid within five days 
			 2010-11 79.33 
			 2011-12 82.14 
			 2012-13 84.41

Building Regulations

Roberta Blackman-Woods: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps he plans to take to monitor the effectiveness of third party certification under the revised Part P of the building regulations.

Don Foster: Third party certification scheme operators will monitor the effectiveness of third party certification under Part P in a similar way that they monitor the effectiveness of self-certification by installers by carrying out periodic assessments of certification work by their registered third party certifiers. Scheme operators will provide the Department with biannual statistics on the number of registered third party certifiers and the number of certifications issued. The scheme operators themselves will be required to meet conditions of authorisation and their performance against these conditions will be checked by a third party. In addition, the Department will continue its regular dialogue with all interested bodies with an interest in electrical safety.

Building Regulations

Roberta Blackman-Woods: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government for what reasons third party certification under the revised Part P of the building regulations will take place after completion when much of the work will be inaccessible.

Don Foster: Certification that domestic electrical work complies with the Building Regulations, whether self certification by a member of a competent persons scheme, or by a registered third party, can only be done on completion of the work. Third party certifiers will be free to judge for themselves whether they need to inspect electrical work while it is in progress—according to the complexity of the work and the installer's competence.

Fire Services: Pensions

Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when he plans to publish the Government's response to the report of Dr Williams on aspects of the terms and conditions of pension eligibility for the fire service.

Brandon Lewis: The Normal Pension Age for Firefighters report contains a number of recommendations which I am currently considering. The Government's response will be published in due course.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what recent discussions he has had with his ministerial colleagues in the Department of Transport about the loss of business rates to local authorities in areas where the proposed High Speed 2 route would have an adverse effect on or lead to the closure of existing businesses.

Brandon Lewis: The Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, my right hon. Friend the Member for Brentwood and Ongar (Mr Pickles), meets with Ministers in the Department of Transport on a regular basis, discussing a broad range of issues.

Housing: Carbon Emissions

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what plans he has for the future of Zero Carbon Homes building regulations.

Don Foster: As set out in Budget 2013, the Government remains committed to implementing zero carbon homes from 2016. A further strengthening of the energy efficiency requirements in Building Regulations was announced on 30 July. A consultation seeking views on the next steps to zero carbon including a flexible way to help home builders meet the zero carbon standard through the use of cost effective ‘Allowable Solutions’ was published on 6 August.

Housing: Carbon Emissions

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what timetable he has set for the introduction of a target on building fabric energy efficiency.

Don Foster: Changes to the Building Regulations including the introduction of a fabric energy efficiency rate target for new homes were announced on 30 July. The amending regulations come into force on 6 April 2014.

Housing: Construction

Toby Perkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will introduce minimum space and light standards for all new homes.

Don Foster: The Government is currently consulting on space and daylighting standards as part of the Housing Standards Review and will take decisions in due course following the consultation.

Local Government Finance: Dudley

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when he proposes to respond to the case set out by Councillor Pete Lowe on the impact of his Department's distribution of funds to local authorities on Dudley metropolitan borough council.

Brandon Lewis: I provided a response to Councillor Peter Lowe dated 29 August 2013.

Noise: Pollution Control

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what additional planning guidance he is giving to address noise pollution; and if he will make a statement.

Nicholas Boles: The National Planning Policy Framework sets out how planning policies and decisions should take into account noise pollution. To help the effective implementation of the Framework, we have published planning practice guidance on noise. The guidance is part of a web-based resource open in test mode for comment for six weeks until 9 October 2013. We are seeking views on the format and style, how the web-based resource works and on the content of the material.
	The planning practice guidance can be found on the following web link:
	http://planningguidance.planningportal.gov.uk/

Public Houses

Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate he has made of the number of pubs that have closed in each of the last five years.

Jo Swinson: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.
	The Government do not compile statistics on pub closures and have made no estimate of the number of pubs that have closed in each of the last five years. The Government's consultation on the relationship between pub companies and their tenants and the accompanying impact assessment, published on 22 April 2013, referred to data on pub closures from CGA strategy.

CHURCH COMMISSIONERS

Investment

Helen Goodman: To ask the hon. Member for Banbury, representing the Church Commissioners, what the category limits are of the Church Commissioners' ethical investment policy.

Tony Baldry: The Church Commissioners are advised on ethical investment policy by the Church of England’s Ethical Investment Advisory Group. In directly held investments, the Church Commissioners avoid investment in companies involved in indiscriminate weaponry and, if their strategic military supplies exceed 10% of turnover, in companies involved in conventional weapons. The Church Commissioners do not invest in companies that derive more than 3% of revenues from the production or distribution of pornography, nor companies a major part of whose business activity or focus (defined as more than 25% of group revenues) is tobacco, gambling, alcoholic drinks, high interest rate lending or human embryonic cloning. Where the Church Commissioners are not able to invest in an asset class directly they do so indirectly (in pooled funds). In indirectly held investments, where the Church Commissioners usually cannot fully implement their ethical restrictions, exposure to businesses operating in excluded sectors is monitored. If the level or nature of exposure to excluded sectors in any one fund becomes unacceptable, the Church Commissioners review the options for remedial action.

ENERGY AND CLIMATE CHANGE

Electricity

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what timetable he has set for the proposed electricity demand reduction pilot.

Michael Fallon: We plan to announce further detail regarding the proposed electricity demand reduction pilot shortly.

Fracking: Norfolk

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate he has made of the volume of shale gas reserves present in black shale deposits under (a) North West Norfolk constituency and (b) Norfolk.

Michael Fallon: None. DECC has published a report from the British Geological Survey on shale gas resources in the Bowland basin, and is supporting work in hand by BGS seeking to quantify such shale gas or oil resources as may exist in the Weald basin of southern England.

Fracking: Norfolk

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many fracking licence applications have been (a) received, (b) granted and (c) refused for exploratory hydraulic fracturing in (i) North West Norfolk constituency, (ii) Norfolk and (iii) the UK to date.

Michael Fallon: No part of Norfolk has been licensed for oil or gas activities. A map of showing all UK onshore Petroleum Exploration and Development Licences can be found on the Government website via the following link:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/227180/landfields_lics.pdf

Green Deal Scheme: Scotland

Ann McKechin: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many applications for the Green Deal Scheme in Scotland have been made by residents of flats in pre-1919, stone-built tenements.

Gregory Barker: DECC published the number Green Deal assessments lodged between January and March 2013 broken down by tenure in the first quarterly Official Statistics release on 27 June.
	DECC does not currently hold the information that will enable tenure to be broken down by Scotland, although it will have this information in the future. Furthermore, whilst DECC collects some information on property type, it does not collect information on the age or structure of individual properties where Green Deal assessments have taken place.

Nuclear Power

Margaret Ritchie: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment he has made of the implications for his plans for the UK's future nuclear programme of recent reports relating to the nuclear plant at Fukushima.

Michael Fallon: The Government remains firmly committed to its efforts to ensure that the conditions are right for investment in new nuclear power in the UK. Safety is our number one priority.
	Government, industry and the nuclear regulators will continue to learn all possible lessons from the events at Fukushima. Dr Mike Weightman's 2011 report on the implications of the events in Japan and the lessons to be learned for the UK nuclear industry confirmed that the UK's current safety regime is working and reassured us that nuclear can be part of the future energy mix as it is today. We must, however, continue to improve where we can, not just with operating power stations and new sites but by dealing with our nuclear legacy in a robust and effective manner, and continue to work with our international partners to push forward work on enhancing nuclear safety standards.

Sellafield

Margaret Ritchie: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what recent assessment he has made of progress towards deadlines for the decommissioning of the Sellafield nuclear plant; and which deadlines have been (a) missed or (b) extended in the last three years.

Michael Fallon: DECC/Shareholder Executive Officials have regular meetings with the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) to review performance at all its sites. Ministers have made regular visits to see progress at Sellafield for themselves and hold regular meetings to discuss progress on tackling the high hazard work programmes. Sellafield represents a unique and complex challenge and progress has been mixed. Detailed reports on performance against targets are available on the NDA's website and through its annual report:
	http://www.nda.gov.uk/
	http://www.nda.gov.uk/documents/upload/Annual-Report-and-Accounts-2012-2013.pdf

Sellafield

Margaret Ritchie: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how much has been paid in bonuses to employees of Nuclear Management Partners for their work in decommissioning the Sellafield nuclear plant in each of the last three years.

Michael Fallon: Nuclear Management Partners (NMP) is a private sector consortium that won a competition in 2008 to become the parent company for Sellafield Ltd, which operates the Sellafield site under contract to the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA). Any bonuses NMP pays to its own employees is a matter for them; however, the cost of Sellafield Ltd employees (including' the salaries and bonuses of executives seconded by the parent company) is funded by the taxpayer.
	The amounts paid directly by NDA to fund bonuses for NMP Executives seconded to Sellafield Ltd are as follows:
	FY 2009-10
	Total bonus paid: £1,999,192
	FY 2010-11
	Total bonus paid: £2,451,269
	FY 2011-12
	Total bonus paid: £2,148,035

Sellafield

Margaret Ritchie: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many fines have been levied due to unsafe practices in decommissioning the Sellafield nuclear plant in each of the last five years; and to which incidents each such fine relates.

Michael Fallon: An incident in July 2007, during which two contractors received a higher than anticipated radiation dose intake while carrying out floor refurbishment work within a redundant area of the Plutonium Finishing and Storage Plant, resulted in a fine of £75,000 in December 2009.
	Sellafield Ltd was also fined £700,000 in June 2013 in Carlisle Crown court following the inadvertent transfer of four waste bags to a landfill site at Lillyhall, West Cumbria rather than to the Low Level Waste Repository at Drigg.

Sellafield

Margaret Ritchie: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what recent assessment he has made of the role of Nuclear Management Partners in the decommissioning of the Sellafield nuclear plant.

Michael Fallon: It is the responsibility of the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) to assess performance of its contractors and to take appropriate action through the contracts it has let. The NDA is currently assessing the performance of Nuclear Management Partners during its first contract period before concluding whether or not to extend the contract into its second term.

HEALTH

Allergies: Food

Valerie Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the possibility that his Department should subsidise the cost of alternative foods for people with allergies.

Norman Lamb: No assessment has been made of the possibility to subsidise the cost of alternative foods for people with allergies.
	The Government is very aware of the need to protect the health of consumers with food allergies and intolerances and this is why food allergens are required to be clearly declared on the labels of pre-packed foods.

Atrial Fibrillation

Paul Beresford: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  whether Clinical Commissioning Groups are encouraged to treat atrial fibrillation as a priority;
	(2)  what steps are being taken in the NHS to prevent atrial fibrillation strokes;
	(3)  whether his Department plans to develop the focus within the cardiovascular outcomes strategy on the diagnosis and treatment of atrial fibrillation.

Anna Soubry: As set out in the Cardiovascular Disease Outcomes Strategy, published in March 2013, atrial fibrillation is a priority for this Government and NHS England will work to support primary care to provide good management of people with or at risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD), including atrial fibrillation-related stroke.
	Responsibility for improving clinical outcomes from healthcare services lies with NHS England.
	NHS England is developing its overall approach to delivering reduced premature mortality, in line with the NHS Outcomes Framework. As one of the major causes of premature mortality, reducing cardiovascular-related mortality is expected to form a significant element of NHS England's work to support primary care, including providing good management of people with or at risk of CVD.
	The Clinical Commissioning Group (CCGs) Outcome Indicators Set for 2013-14 will be used to measure improvement in the quality of services and health outcomes achieved by CCGs through commissioning. This includes indicators on CVD, which covers atrial fibrillation.
	In line this overall aim, NHS Improving Quality's (NHS IQ's) strategic priorities for 2013-14 include public awareness and early diagnosis and a major drive to increase general practitioner engagement in stroke.
	Prior to the formation of NHS Improving Quality, NHS Improvement implemented the national roll out of Guidance on Risk Assessment and Stroke Prevention for Atrial Fibrillation (GRASP-AF), as part of a wider programme aimed at improving the management, of atrial fibrillation in stroke prevention. GRASP-AF is a simple audit tool for use in primary care to help with stroke risk assessment and the management of atrial fibrillation.
	NHS IQ will continue to promote these tools.

Dementia

Julian Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much his Department spent on dementia research through the National Institute for Health Research in 2012-13; and what activities were funded by such spending.

Daniel Poulter: The National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) spent £24.4 million on dementia research in 2012-13. This investment supported a wide range of research activity including individual projects, programme grants, research training awards, research undertaken by NIHR biomedical research centres and units, and other support through NIHR infrastructure including the Clinical Research Network, Clinical Research Facilities and Collaborations for Leadership in Applied Health Research and Care.

Diabetes

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what steps he is taking to reduce variancies in the quality of diabetes care across the NHS;
	(2)  what steps he is taking to reduce the number of people with diabetes who are at risk of further complications;
	(3)  what steps he is taking to increase the number of people with diabetes who receive all nine of the tests his Department has established as minimum standards for diabetes care;
	(4)  what steps he has taken to ensure that patients with diabetes are able to see a consultant if their condition worsens;
	(5)  what steps he has taken to increase the early diagnosis of diabetes.

Anna Soubry: Responsibility for improving the quality of diabetes care sits with NHS England and Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs).
	Through the Mandate, the Department has asked NHS England to demonstrate progress towards making the NHS among the best in Europe at supporting people with ongoing health problems such as diabetes to live healthy and independent lives, with better control over the care they receive.
	National performance on diabetes will be monitored through the NHS Outcomes Framework. Diabetes is mentioned specifically in an indicator which focuses on enhancing the quality of life for people with long-term conditions and is relevant to all five domains of the Framework. Alongside this, the CCG Outcomes Indicator Set 2013-14 will enable NHS England and local authorities to monitor variations in the quality of diabetes services and health outcomes achieved through commissioning.
	General practitioners and other doctors and nurses are at the centre of making local NHS decisions, enabling CCGs to create more integrated care for all patients with long-term health problems. Local commissioners within CCGs have the responsibility to determine what local diabetes services will be provided and should follow the evidence-based guidelines for good diabetes care, including providing adequate support to patients whose condition worsen.
	Diabetes is included in the Cardiovascular Disease Outcome Strategy, published in March 2013, which reiterates our commitment to the NHS Health Check programme. To increase the early diagnosis of disease, NHS Health Check assesses everyone between 40 and 74 for their risk of heart disease, stroke, diabetes and kidney disease. In July, Public Health England published a review of the NHS Health Check implementation and action plan. NHS England will be working with Public Health England to make the NHS Health Check programme as effective as possible.
	NHS Improving Quality (NHS IQ), as part of NHS England, is working with Strategic Clinical Networks to support commissioners and providers deliver appropriate services and treatment to people with diabetes. NHS IQ has cited improved public awareness and early diagnosis as a key improvement programme.
	The risk of diabetes related complications can be reduced through careful monitoring and management of the disease. There are a number of national and locally developed patient education programmes available to diabetes patients, as well as a range of tools and guidance to help local services choose the best programmes to meet the needs of their local population.
	To encourage improved management of diabetes, the Government has set dear objectives for the NHS to increase universal coverage of the nine National Institute for Care Excellence (NICE) recommended care processes to 80% by 2018 (from 49% in 2010). The National Diabetes Audit measures the percentage of diabetes patients who receive all nine checks. The 2010-11 Audit, published in September 2012, found that 54.43% of people with diabetes had records showing all nine checks had been completed between January 2010 and March 2011, up by almost 3% from 2009-10. The data for 2011-12 is expected to be published in October.

General Practitioners

Andrew Bridgen: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will investigate the variance in GP charges for work that is not covered under their contract with the NHS.

Daniel Poulter: The fees charged by general practitioners (GPs), for work outside of their contract with the national health service, are a private matter. It is not appropriate for Ministers to intervene in those arrangements.
	Under the terms of their contract for the provision of NHS primary medical services, GPs are required to provide certain medical reports, or complete certain forms such as those required to support a claim for incapacity benefit, free of charge to their registered patients. This has been the position since the contracting arrangements were introduced in 2004. Such reports are provided free of charge under arrangements between the requesting body and GP practices and are provided to enable the statutory body to carry out its functions. If a patient wishes to have further information over and above that required by the requesting body, this is regarded as a private matter.
	The Professional Fees Committee of the British Medical Association (BMA) suggests fees for such services to help doctors set their own professional fees. However, these fees are guidelines only, not recommendations, and a doctor is not obliged to charge the rates suggested. Where doctors intend to charge for services to patients, the BMA advises them to forewarn patients, at the earliest opportunity, of the likely level of fees.

Health Services: Reciprocal Arrangements

Alun Cairns: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what action his Department is taking to block fraudulent websites of companies that offer fast-track services for a fee to renew the European Health Card.

Anna Soubry: The Department and the NHS Business Services Authority ((NHSBSA)—which issues European Health Insurance Cards (EHICs) on behalf of the Department) are aware of various third party websites offering charge for the application service for EHICs. The EHIC is a European Union-wide resource that is free to all United Kingdom citizens via the NHS Choices website.
	As requested by the Department, the Office of Fair Trading reviewed information on a number of these third party websites, but concluded that they are not, in their view, illegal, provided they make clear the card can be obtained free of charge from the NHSBSA, and that no action will be taken at this time.
	The NHSBSA is continually seeking to improve its processes and is working closely with NHS Choices to enhance its web presence, thereby ensuring that citizens are able to choose the correct method of applying for an EHIC in the future.

Home Care Services

David Ward: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what support and advice his Department plans to provide to authorities that choose to provide care and support services above the proposed national minimum.

Norman Lamb: The Care Bill will introduce a national minimum eligibility threshold for adult care and support to help remove variation in access to care depending on where people live. Local authorities will not be able to tighten their eligibility criteria beyond the national minimum threshold but if they choose they will be free to meet needs not included in the national criteria.
	On 28 June, the Government published a discussion document which set out the national minimum eligibility threshold. The threshold is set at a level similar to "substantial" in the current system. This is the level which the majority of local authorities already set their local eligibility criteria. The discussion document asks local authorities what training and support they will need to implement the eligibility regulations.
	The Department will issue statutory guidance to support the implementation of the reforms in the Care Bill, and this will include detail to support local authorities implementing the national minimum eligibility criteria. The guidance will be prepared in consultation with stakeholders and will be informed by the feedback from the discussion document. We intend to issue the guidance for consultation in spring 2014 and the final version will be published in autumn 2014.

Lead: Health Hazards

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will place in the Library a copy of all internal briefings prepared for Ministers on the effects on human health of exposure to lead in the UK in the last three years.

Anna Soubry: Health Ministers have received no specific briefing on the effects on human health of the exposure to lead in the United Kingdom in the last three years. Relevant background notes from previous written parliamentary questions have been placed in the Library.

Medicine: Research

John Leech: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the potential effects on medical research in the UK of the proposed General Data Protection Regulation before the European Parliament.

Daniel Poulter: The proposed European Union General Data Protection Regulation text is yet to be finalised. The Government has many concerns about the quality of the text in the proposed regulation and will want to ensure that researchers can continue to process data for their legitimate purposes without disproportionate obstacles being placed in their way. The regulation is not yet finalised due to the high level of amendments, and in addition member state reservations need to be considered before it can be agreed, and voted upon. The Government places a great deal of importance on research into the life sciences and will continue to pursue a data protection framework that does not constrain work unnecessarily whilst still providing for the effective protection of the personal data of individuals.

Meningitis: Vaccination

Margaret Ritchie: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions he has had with the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation regarding the future assessment of the Meningitis B vaccine Bexsero and a timetable for a population-based evaluation.

Anna Soubry: We have not had any discussions with the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) about its interim position statement on the meningococcal B vaccine, Bexsero®, which was published on 24 July 2013 for consultation with organisations who had submitted evidence to it.
	The JCVI will be considering the consultation responses to its interim position statement at its meeting on 2 October and is due to submit a final position statement to the Department by mid-November, to which we will then respond.

Mental Health Services

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what steps he is taking to expand the Improving Access to Psychological Therapy programme;
	(2)  what steps he is taking to make cognitive behavioural therapy more widely available;
	(3)  what recent assessment he has made of the cost effectiveness of increased spending on mental health care;
	(4)  what recent representations he has received from the Mental Health Foundation;
	(5)  what steps he is taking to improve care for mental health patients within the NHS.

Norman Lamb: The Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) programme supports the frontline National Health Service in implementing National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines for people suffering from depression and anxiety disorders. Over £400 million is being invested over the spending review period to make a choice of psychological therapies, including cognitive behavioural therapy, available for those who need them in all parts of England.
	The Department's Mandate to the NHS sets a clear objective for NHS England to deliver the key objectives of the IAPT programme—providing access to therapies to 15% of those eligible (around 900,000 people) per year by 2015, with a recovery rate of 50%. Helping people back into employment is a key objective of the programme.
	The Operating Framework for the NHS in England clearly states that the NHS should carry on expanding access to psychological services as part of the IAPT programme. NHS England is also running a series of pilot programmes to expand or improve IAPT services for people with severe mental illness, long-term conditions, black and minority ethnic groups and older people.
	The annual cost of mental health problems to the economy in England has recently been estimated at £105 billion. This is why we have enshrined in law the equal importance of mental health, alongside physical health. The Health and Social Care Act 2012 sets out the equal status of mental and physical health. We have made improving mental health, and treating mental illness, a key priority for NHS England.. One of NHS England's 24 objectives is to put mental health on a par with physical health, and close the health gap between people with mental health problems and the population as a whole.
	We will hold the NHS to account for the quality of services and outcomes for mental health patients through the NHS Outcomes Framework. There are four measures which relate specifically to mental health. Improvements for people with mental health problems will also be a crucial element of success across the framework as a whole.
	We are supporting local organisations in taking effective action to improve mental health. Our mental health strategy and implementation framework, and our suicide prevention strategy, focus on specific actions which specific local organisations can take to improve mental health across the life course in their areas.
	The Mental Health Foundation is one of the Department's key partner organisations. The mental health strategy ‘No Health without Mental Health’ and its accompanying implementation framework, copies of which have already been placed on the Library, were co-produced with a number of partner organisations including the Mental Health Foundation. They are also represented on the mental health Ministerial Advisory Group which I chair. Therefore, representations of varying degrees of formality are received and responded to on a regular basis.

Mental Health Services

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the proportion of those younger than 65 with mental health problems who receive adequate care.

Norman Lamb: Mental health and well-being is a priority for this Government and our overarching goal is to ensure equality between mental health and physical health services.
	Our mental health strategy, ‘No health without mental health’, focuses on specific actions which local organisations can take to improve mental health across the life course, and includes a specific objective to give more people a positive experience of care and support.
	It is the responsibility of local organisations to assess the care and treatment received by patients in their area.
	The national health service will make sure people experience better care, not just better treatment, so that everyone with a mental illness can expect to be treated with compassion, dignity and respect whenever they come into contact with the NHS.

Mental Health Services: Young People

Alan Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many adolescent in-patient mental health units have ceased to operate as a result of the change in Tier 4 specification introduced by NHS England.

Norman Lamb: No units have ceased to operate as a result of the change in Tier 4 specification that will be introduced by NHS England on 1 October 2013, nor do we expect any to cease operating when the change is implemented.

Mental Health Services: Young People

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department is taking to improve detection of mental illness in younger people.

Norman Lamb: ‘No Health Without Mental Health, a cross-Government mental health strategy for people of all ages’ stakes a life-course approach, recognising that the foundations for life long well-being are already being laid down before birth. The implementation framework for this strategy, published in July 2012, outlines the important role schools and colleges play in relation to health and well-being and what they can do to embed the right skills, behaviour and support systems to remove barriers to learning and build confidence and self-esteem including:
	‘Whole school’ approaches;
	School nursing;
	Addressing bullying; and
	Ensuring staff are aware of how mental health relates to their work.
	In February 2012, departmental Ministers agreed the development of interactive e-learning programmes to extend the skills and knowledge of:
	Health workers;
	Non-health workers working in universal settings, such as teachers, social workers, school and faith workers; and
	Counsellors and supervisors working in a range of educational and youth settings.
	These programmes, will be delivered via an e-Portal for children and young people's mental health.

Mental Illness: Employment

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  if his Department will work with relevant bodies to develop Commissioning for Quality and Innovation payments based on employment rates of people with severe mental illness;
	(2)  what estimates his Department has made of the cost of developing an atlas of variation at a clinical commissioning group level for mental health conditions;
	(3)  what steps his Department plans to take to support the development of a clinical commissioning group outcome indicator on the employment of people with mental illness;
	(4)  what information his Department holds on the numbers of people with severe mental illness who are in employment at (a) local authority and (b) clinical commissioning group level;
	(5)  what estimate his Department has made of the number of mental health trusts that provide Individual Placement and Support services.

Norman Lamb: NHS England (NHSE) is currently undertaking a review of incentives, rewards and sanctions, including Commissioning for Quality and Innovation payments. It has engaged with a wide range of stakeholders and is currently analysing the responses from this process. This will inform the content and design of the scheme for 2014-15.
	Public Health England (PHE) and NHSE have jointly committed to developing a National Mental Health Intelligence Network (NMHIN) which will aim to bring together a range of mental health and well-being indicators for NHS commissioners and other stakeholders by early 2014. This data will allow comparisons between different areas.
	The development of a Clinical Commissioning Group Outcomes Indicator in relation to the employment of people with mental illness is under consideration by NHSE. Technical work is being undertaken by the Health and Social Care Information Centre to determine whether this can be appropriately measured at Clinical Commissioning Group level.
	We do not collect information about patients with severe mental ill health in employment which is broken down to local authority or clinical commissioning group level.
	Individual Placement and Support services are based within mental health trusts and providers and the Department does not collect this information centrally.

NHS: Apprentices

Stephen McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the budget for apprenticeships in the NHS was in each of the last five years.

Daniel Poulter: The actual budget set by the Department for national health service apprenticeships is as follows:
	
		
			  £ million 
			 2009-10 25 
			 2010-11 10 
			 2011-12 0 
			 2012-13 0 
			 2013-14 0 
			 Source: Department of Health Strategy and Finance Directorate 
		
	
	Since April 2013, Health Education England has assumed responsibility for the national healthcare apprenticeship agenda and is currently working with Local Education and Training Boards to increase uptake across the NHS.
	Following the introduction of the Health and Social Care Act 2012, individual local provider organisations continue to be responsible for the level of funding they invest in apprenticeships based on local service demand.
	The Department currently has no apprentices. The Department runs and actively encourages teams to offer work experience and other opportunities to candidates from Government schemes. These initiatives include the Civil Service Whitehall Internship programme, the Summer Development and Placement Scheme, plus the Department's own Building Bridges programme, the NHS Management trainee programme, and placements for finance and analytical students. Since 2012 the Department has increased its allocation on the Building Bridges programme to eight places, due to the high demand.

NHS: Technology

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health with reference to the contributions by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Health of 21 November 2012, Official Report, column 210WH, and column 214WH, on mobile technology (healthcare), when the Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Health plans to meet (a) the hon. Member for West Lancashire and (b) healthcare providers to discuss mobile technology in healthcare.

Daniel Poulter: I would be happy to meet the hon. Member and representatives from healthcare providers about mobile technology in healthcare. We have suggested to the hon. Member's office that ahead of that meeting we will also arrange for her to meet with senior officials from the Department to ensure we can make best use of our meeting.

Public Health England

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 16 July 2013, Official Report, column 673W, on Public Health England, what consideration was given to gender and equality in the shortlisting process for the Public Health England advisory board.

Anna Soubry: The recruitment campaign to Public Health England's Advisory Board was managed in a way that complied with the principles of the Commissioner for Public Appointment's Code of Practice—it was open, transparent and appointments were made on merit.
	The code states that
	“Departments must also ensure that they comply with all relevant legislation. This includes legislation relating to the particular public body or statutory office and the Equality Act 2010 (which prohibits discrimination, harassment and other unlawful conduct because of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex and sexual orientation where an individual applies for a public appointment).”

Slaughterhouses: Horses

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health on what date licences were granted for horse slaughter to the five UK abattoirs which were in possession of such licences in January 2013.

Anna Soubry: The Food Standards Agency (FSA) advise that while there were only five establishments still involved in the slaughter of horses in January 2013, there were actually seven establishments which were still approved to slaughter horses in the United Kingdom at this time. Details on when these establishments were originally licensed are provided in the table. With the advent of new EC Food Hygiene legislation in 2006, premises operating at that time were subject to re-approval under Regulation (EC) 853/2004.
	
		
			 Approval number Approval name 
			 2295 Bowood Farms Ltd Ltd T/A Bowood Yorkshire Lamb 
			  Approval, granted on 5 October 2012. Bowood Farms Limited have since surrendered their approval to slaughter horses with effect from 4 March 2013. 
			   
			 4140 G and GB Hewitt Ltd 
			  The establishment was granted approval to slaughter horses on 20 August 2009. 
			   
			 4185 High Peak Meat Exports Ltd 
			  The establishment was licensed to slaughter horses by Crewe and Nantwich borough council under the Fresh Meat (Hygiene and Inspection) Regulations on 22 November 1993. Following the introduction of the EC Food Hygiene Regulations, approval was granted by the FSA on 8 September 2006. Following a change of food business operator the establishment was reassessed and approval was refused on 4 April 2013. 
			   
			 8231 Stillmans (Somerset) Ltd 
			  The establishment was licensed to slaughter horses under the Fresh Meat (Hygiene and Inspection) Regulations on 26 July 2001. Following the introduction of the EC Food Hygiene Regulations, approval was granted by the FSA on 20 August 2009. 
			   
			 8070 Philip Hayman (T/A PJ Hayman and Sons) 
			  The establishment was. licensed to slaughter horses under the Fresh Meat (Hygiene and Inspection) Regulations on 13 April 2000. Following the introduction of the EC Food Hygiene Regulations, approval was granted by the FSA on 14 February 2006. 
			   
			 2163 Peter Boddy (T/A Peter Boddy Licensed Slaughterers and Game Dealers) 
			  Approval granted on 2 May 2012. This approval was suspended between 2 February 2013 and 7 March 2013. Following the lifting of the suspension the establishment is now operating under full approval. 
			   
			 9080 Oakdale Meats (NI) LTD 
			  Approval granted on 26 January 2010. Oakdale Meats surrendered their approval to slaughter horses with effect from 15 February 2013.

South Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how much the South Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust has spent on public relations in each of the last 10 years;
	(2)  how many staff of South Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust earn (a) £70,000 per year, (b) £100,000 per year and (c) £150,000 per year; and if he will make a statement.

Anna Soubry: This information is not collected centrally.
	We have written to Lorraine Cabel, Chair of South Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust, informing her of the hon. Member's inquiry. She will reply shortly and a copy of the letter will be placed in the Library.

Streptococcus

Nadine Dorries: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what steps his Department is taking to increase awareness of (a) the dangers posed by and (b) steps taken to avoid Group B streptococcus among pregnant women and their families;
	(2)  what steps his Department is taking to increase awareness of the signs of Group B streptococcus infection in newborn babies;
	(3)  what targets his Department has set for long-term reduction in the number of Group B streptococcal infections in maternity wards;
	(4)  what his Department's policy is on routine testing for carriage of Group B streptococcus in the early stages of pregnancy;
	(5)  what steps his Department is taking to identify pregnant women at higher risk of Group B streptococcal infection.

Daniel Poulter: The Department is working together with the national health service, the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG), the Royal College of Midwives, the National Institute for Health Research Health Technology Assessment and the pharmaceutical industry to raise awareness and make improvements in the reduction of early-onset Group B streptococcus infection in newborn babies.
	The RCOG published their updated guidelines on prevention of Group B streptococcus (GBS) on incidence of GBS infection in neonates in July 2012. The updated guideline took into account new evidence on the prevention of early-onset neonatal GBS disease. It is important that services undertake local clinical audits to ensure the effective use of intrapartum antibiotic prophylaxis recommended by the guideline.
	Following the publication of the revised guideline, the UK National Screening Committee suggested a formal audit of practice, to establish how well the new guidance is being implemented at a national level.
	The RCOG, in partnership with the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, have now appointed a clinical research fellow to carry out an audit across the United Kingdom. It would aim to provide feedback and advice to all participating trusts about how they can further improve their adherence to the RCOG guidelines on the prevention of neonatal GBS disease.
	In addition, The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) published two clinical audit tools which include clinical audit standards, a data collection form and an action plan template for use by services that care for women in labour or for babies at risk of, or being treated for, early-onset neonatal infection. We expect NHS organisations to take them fully into account in their decision making, including on antibiotics for the prevention and treatment of early onset neonatal infection.
	NICE recommend that all women should be offered a test in early pregnancy to identify the presence of bacteria in the urine. GBS can sometimes be identified in this way and current RCOG and NICE guidelines recommend that antibiotics in labour should be offered as a result.
	The National Institute for Health Research Health Technology Assessment programme is currently commissioning a study to provide evidence on whether intrapartum testing of high risk women for GBS colonisation enables more timely identification of women with GBS carriage and potentially better targeted antibiotic use.

WOMEN AND EQUALITIES

Written Questions

Chris Ruane: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities how many questions answered by the Government Equalities Office included fewer than four pages of statistics in the Official Report for the last month.

Helen Grant: This information is not readily available and can be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Written Questions

Chris Ruane: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities if she will make it her policy to ensure that all answers provided by the Government Equalities Office containing tables of statistical data which would not require more than four pages in the Official Report are published in full rather than by reference to a hyperlink.

Helen Grant: It is currently the policy of DCMS, which includes GEO, to provide a hyperlink for information which is easily accessible to the public; where this is not the case then the Department will endeavour to publish the information in full in the Official Report.

TREASURY

Children: Day Care

Lucy Powell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what funds have been set aside by HM Revenue and Customs to begin preliminary work on the operation of the new tax free childcare scheme.

Sajid Javid: HM Treasury and HM Revenue and Customs are currently working on the design of the tax free child care scheme. Staff in both Departments are engaged in this work. The costs of these staff are being met from within existing resources.

Children: Day Care

Lucy Powell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much is being budgeted for the design of the IT system for the tax free childcare scheme.

Sajid Javid: The requirements for the development of the tax free child care system will be informed by the forthcoming public consultation. The estimated costs for the development of TFC will be calculated after the consultation.

Companies: Ownership

Anas Sarwar: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the Prime Minister's policy is on the introduction of EU regulation to collect beneficial ownership information on companies and to make such information public; and what the Prime Minister's policy is on including such requirements in the anti-money laundering directives.

Greg Clark: The Government is committed to ensuring that UK companies know who owns and controls them by placing a legal obligation on companies to obtain and hold adequate, accurate and current information on their beneficial ownership. The Government used the UK’s presidency of the G8 to achieve a political commitment across all G8 countries to this standard. The Government believes that beneficial ownership information should be held in a central registry and is consulting on whether such information should be made publicly available.
	The UK is committed to full implementation of beneficial ownership transparency through the Fourth EU Money Laundering Directive, which is currently being negotiated.

Employment Schemes

Stephen Timms: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions on tackling under-performance in (a) the Work Programme and (b) the Youth Contract; and if he will make a statement.

Sajid Javid: The performance of large Government programmes such as the Work programme and the Youth Contract are a priority for both the Treasury and the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). As such, there are ongoing discussions between our two Departments about the performance of these projects.
	The Work programme has been underway since June 2011, delivering personalised support to long term and vulnerable jobseekers. With more people getting into work within a year of joining the programme, performance is improving. The numbers of people finding lasting work—at least six months for most people or three months for the hardest to help—has increased from 9,000 in March 2012 to 132,000 in March 2013.
	DWP have issued Performance Improvement Notices on 12 contracts that are deemed as not delivering the Work programme to the agreed standards. If these providers do not demonstrate significant improvements DWP will continue to take action in line with contracts. This could lead to contract termination.
	The Youth Contract was launched in April 2012 to help support half a million young people into employment. The Government remains committed to implementation of this programme, and in July this year the Government announced £50 million will be made available to England's eight largest cities (outside London) to invest in getting young people into work.

Equitable Life Assurance Society: Compensation

Charles Hendry: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will set out how his Department calculates the levels of settlements offered to each Equitable Life claimant.

Sajid Javid: The scheme published the detailed calculation methodology in May 2011 and this information can be found on the Scheme's website:
	http://equitablelifepaymentscheme.independent.gov.uk/resources/index.htm

Imports: Ethiopia

David Davies: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what revenue from import taxes has been received on goods imported into the UK from Ethiopia in each of the last five years.

David Gauke: The following table contains details of the total revenue collected on goods imported to the UK from Ethiopia since 1 September 2009. It has not been possible to provide details for the full five year period requested as the information is held for a rolling four-year period.
	
		
			 Period Total revenue (£) 
			 1 September 2009 to 31 August 2010 2,357,069.15 
			 1 September 2010 to 31 August 2011 2,780,801.11 
			 1 September 2011 to 31 August 2012 2,697,345.45 
			 1 September 2012 to 29 August 2013 2,810,715.49

National Insurance Contributions: Self-employed

Richard Burden: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make it his policy to enable self-employed people to pay voluntary class 1 national insurance contributions to ensure that they are eligible for contribution-based jobseeker's allowance if they become unemployed.

David Gauke: The contributions that self employed earners pay have never counted towards contribution-based jobseeker's allowance entitlement. There are no plans to either change this rule or to allow the self employed to pay Class 1 contributions voluntarily.

PAYE

Nick de Bois: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what representations he has received following HM Revenue and Customs' decision to withdraw the P38(S) form following the introduction of PAYE Real Time Information; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what estimates he has made of costs to his Department of HM Revenue and Customs' decision to withdraw the P38(S) form following the introduction of PAYE Real Time Information; and if he will make a statement.

David Gauke: HMRC consulted with external representative bodies and the National Union of Students (NUS) regarding the withdrawal of form P38(S) for students from April 2013. It was recognised that students now tend to work throughout the year and not just during vacation periods and that their tax affairs could hence be dealt with through normal PAYE processes. No representations were received following the announcement that the P38(S) form and process would be withdrawn. No estimate has been made of the costs associated with the decision to withdraw form P38(S).

Revenue and Customs

John Robertson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  how many administrative errors by HM Revenue and Customs there have been in each of the last five years;
	(2)  how many cases there have been of HM Revenue and Customs taking tax from the wrong account in each of the last five years;
	(3)  how many cases there have been of HM Revenue and Customs taking multiple tax payments in error in each of the last five years.

David Gauke: This information is not available centrally, and could be researched only at disproportionate cost.

Standards

Stephen Timms: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to his statement of 26 June 2013, Official Report, column 314, on spending review, whether he has informed the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions which of his Department's programmes he has identified as under-performing; and if he will make a statement.

Sajid Javid: The performance of Government programmes is continuously monitored and discussed at ministerial level. Where changes to policies or programmes are agreed as a result of any under-performance, these changes will be announced publicly by the relevant Minister or Department at the appropriate time.

Tax Allowances: Cultural Heritage

Helen Goodman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the minimum requirements are for public access to properties to qualify for estate duty exemption.

David Gauke: The estate duty exemption only applies to chattels. It does not apply to land and buildings or to collections of art, in the same way that a similar exemption applies for inheritance tax purposes. The estate duty exemption criteria do not include any requirements for chattels to be made available for public viewing.

Taxation

Philip Davies: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many claims accepted by HM Revenue and Customs after inquiry between January 2002 and 12 March 2008 related to tax planning schemes subsequently covered by section 58 of the Finance Act 2008.

David Gauke: HMRC became aware in July 2012 that during March 2006 inquiries into fewer than five scheme users had a closure notice issued with no amendment. The closure notices were issued in error and related to only one of the years under inquiry in each case. I am unable to give a more precise figure on the number of enquiries that were closed in error as it would breach HMRC’s duty of confidentiality.
	HMRC is unaware of any other cases where a scheme user's claim to double tax relief was investigated and then a closure notice was issued which referred to the scheme and made no amendment.

Trusts

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the number of trusts and foundations registered in the UK; and what his policy is on establishing registries of beneficial owners of trusts and foundations along the same lines as registries proposed for companies.

David Gauke: Unlike companies, trusts do not need to be registered to be valid. As such, there are no centrally held figures on the overall number of trusts in the UK.
	The case for a registry of UK trusts is not convincing and poses significant economic risks to the UK's competitiveness. It would lead to an increased administrative burden on trusts as well as increased costs of compliance and risks shifting the problem of the misuse of trusts into other jurisdictions. A registry is therefore unlikely to provide sufficient value to justify the costs associated with it.

VAT

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make an assessment of the merits of setting a reduced rate of VAT for personal care alarms.

David Gauke: A zero rate of VAT applies to the supply of an alarm system designed for use by chronically sick or disabled people to allow them to alert a specified person or a control centre, and the supply of certain associated services, as set out in the VAT Act 1994.
	The Government is not considering the introduction of a reduced rate of VAT for personal care alarms.

VAT

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his policy is on assigning childcare businesses as zero-rated for value added tax.

David Gauke: EU legislation does not allow the UK to extend the scope of our existing zero rate reliefs or otherwise waive the payment of VAT. Assigning child care businesses as zero-rated for VAT would amount to an extension of the scope of our existing zero rate reliefs, and is therefore not possible.
	At Budget 2013, the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced the Government would support working families through the creation of a new tax-free child care scheme. The new scheme will be phased in from autumn 2015, supporting working families with 20% of their child care costs, up to £1,200 a year for each child.

VAT: Advertising

Helen Goodman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether the rate of VAT payable on advertising services is the same for all advertisements irrespective of the medium or platform used.

David Gauke: Advertising services are subject to the standard rate of VAT, regardless of the medium employed. However, the supply of advertising services to a charity is zero-rated for VAT purposes, subject to the conditions set out in the VAT Act 1994.

VAT: Charities

Grahame Morris: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the annual cost to the Exchequer of exempting all charities from liability for VAT.

David Gauke: There is no scope under EU VAT law for relieving all purchases made by charities from the imposition of VAT, therefore no estimate has been made.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

BBC

Jim Sheridan: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what guidance her Department gives to the BBC on the exercise of its responsibility to broadcast impartial and accurate information; how often such guidance is reviewed; and what information her Department holds on how often such guidance is communicated to BBC editorial staff.

Edward Vaizey: The BBC is required through its Charter, and accompanying Agreement, to ensure its broadcasts are impartial and accurate, and it is the role of the BBC Trust, among other things to
	"seek to ensure that the BBC gives information about, and increases understanding of, the world through accurate and impartial news, other information, and analysis of current events and ideas".
	Clause 15 of the Agreement requires the Trust to have regard to the purposes of public service broadcasting as set out in Section 264(4) of the Communications Act 2003 and the desirability of those purposes being fulfilled in a manner compatible with the requirements detailed under Section 264(6).
	Further information on how the BBC trust fulfils this obligation can be found at
	http://www.bbc.co.uk/bbctrust/our_work/editorial_standards/impartiality.html
	The current Charter and Agreement expire on 31 December 2016.

BBC: Children

Jim Sheridan: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what estimate she has made of the number of children that (a) watch BBC television channels, (b) listen to BBC radio and (c) use BBC digital services regularly in (i) Paisley and Renfrewshire North constituency, (ii) Renfrewshire, (iii) Scotland and (iv) the UK.

Edward Vaizey: Broadcasters Audience Research Board (BARB) data shows that in the UK, the average number of children per day watching the BBC's TV services in 2012 was 222,000 (or 26.6% share of total dairy viewing by children). The relevant services comprise BBC One, BBC Two, and its digital services—BBC Three, BBC Four, the HD channel, News 24, CBBC and Cbeebies. Data specific to Paisley and the Renfrewshire North constituency, to Renfrewshire, and to Scotland, is not available.
	Radio Joint Audience Research measures and profiles the audiences of UK radio stations. Data from Q4 2012 indicates in the UK, average weekly reach among children 10-14 of BBC Radio stations is 48.3% of that audience (est. 1.67 million) and in Scotland it is 50.2% (est. 139,000). Of hours listened to the radio, BBC Radio stations account for 28.6% in the UK and in Scotland it is 30.1%. Data specific to Paisley and the Renfrewshire North constituency, and to Renfrewshire, is not available.

Boxing: Females

Fiona O'Donnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what funding her Department provides to support women amateur boxers.

Hugh Robertson: Sport England is investing £4.8 million into the Amateur Boxing Association of England (ABAE) between 2013-17. This investment will fund a number of programmes focused on supporting the traditional club network and developing more opportunities for men and women to get involved in boxing. The ABAE is looking to capitalise on the increased profile of women's boxing, following the Olympic Games, and get more women taking part in the sport. Women's boxing has seen a 51% increase in participation in the past 12 months (an increase of 11,800).
	Sport England's ABAE funding also includes £1.2 million to support the development of talented young male and female boxers, providing support for those aiming to represent Team GB at future Olympic games.
	UK Sport is investing £13.7 million into elite Boxing for the Rio cycle (2013-17). This funding ensures that the female boxers, on the sport's World Class Programme, have access to the very best facilities, coaches and medical support, enabling them to compete and win at the highest level as they aim to emulate the success of Nicola Adams, who became the very first female Olympic boxing champion at London 2012.

Gambling

John Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport 
	(1)  what recent discussions she has had with the Gambling Commission regarding the prevention of addiction to gambling;
	(2)  what recent discussions she has had with technology companies regarding methods to detect those with gambling addictions online.

Hugh Robertson: My Officials and I discuss a range of matters with the Gambling Commission on a regular basis. In addition, I met with a number of gambling operators earlier this year to discuss a range of issues including the role of technology in enhancing player protection. Separately, the Responsible Gambling Trust has outlined in its Commissioning Plan for 2013-14 its intention to examine new and existing technology and media in gambling and the unique challenges and opportunities they pose to promoting player protection and the mitigation of problem gambling. This work should help inform our understanding of the risks and experiences associated with gambling-related harm.

Swimming: Children

Caroline Dinenage: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps her Department is taking to encourage children to learn to swim.

Hugh Robertson: Sport England has given £20 million to the Amateur Swimming Association, to get more people swimming. The ASA are to increasing the number of swimming clubs for young people aged 14 and above, and improving after-school provision through new satellite clubs.

Swimming: Children

Caroline Dinenage: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what estimate she has made of the number of children in the UK who are able to swim.

Hugh Robertson: Data, from the latest DCMS Taking Part Survey, shows that, in 2012-13, 80.1% of 5 to 10-year-olds can swim (23.7% aided with floats/armbands and 56.4% 25 meters unaided) and 93.2% of 11 to 15-year-olds can swim.

Written Questions

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many questions answered by her Department included fewer than four pages of statistics in the Official Report for the last month.

Hugh Robertson: This information is not readily available and can be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Written Questions

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will make it her policy to ensure that all answers provided by her Department containing tables of statistical data which would not require more than four pages in the Official Report are published in full rather than by reference to a hyperlink.

Hugh Robertson: It is currently the policy of DCMS, which includes GEO, to provide a hyperlink for information which is easily accessible to the public; where this is not the case, the Department will endeavour to publish the information, in full, in the Official Report.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Abu Qatada

Bob Blackman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  pursuant to the statement of 8 July 2013, Official Report, columns 23-36, on Abu Qatada: deportation, what plans her Department has for the long-term funding of Abu Qatada's immediate family that remain resident in the UK;
	(2)  what discussions her Department has had with the London Borough of Harrow on that local authority becoming financially responsible for the immediate family of Abu Qatada.

James Brokenshire: On 15 August 2013, Abu Qatada's wife and five children left the United Kingdom. The family formally agreed to drop an outstanding application for Indefinite Leave to Remain.

Abu Qatada

Bob Blackman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the statement of 8 July 2013, Official Report, columns 23-36, on Abu Qatada: deportation, what steps her Department has taken to prevent Abu Qatada returning to the UK if he attempts to exercise his rights in respect of Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights.

James Brokenshire: Abu Qatada was deported from the UK on national security grounds. As such, there is a permanent bar to him re-entering the country unless a future Secretary of State lifts the deportation decision.
	We believe that any attempt by Abu Qatada to return to the UK by seeking to exercise rights under article 8 of the European convention on human rights would be bound to fail. As article 8 (right to a private and family life) is a qualified right, the national security grounds for his deportation would outweigh any article 8 grounds for visiting. Abu Qatada did not make any representations under article 8 during the recent deportation proceedings, and since his wife and children have now returned to Jordan, the likelihood of any such application is remote.

Derbyshire Constabulary

Chris Williamson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment she has made of the effect of formula damping on the amount of funding allocated to the Derbyshire Police Service in each of the last three years.

Damian Green: Damping is a means of ensuring stability in funding for police and crime commissioners (PCCs) between years. After considering the responses to an informal consultation on damping, the Government decided that every police force area in 2013-14 (and in 2014-15) will face the same percentage reduction in core central Government funding. The cash reduction in this funding for 2013-14 is 1.6%. This mirrors the approach taken for the first two years of this spending review period.
	Damping is only one part of the police funding picture, which is driven by the Police Allocation Formula (PAF). The Government will conduct a fundamental review of the PAF (including damping) to begin in due course. Until this review of the PAF is completed, it would be inappropriate to change existing arrangements, as this is the basis on which many PCCs have made their financial plans.
	In 2011-12, the effect of damping was to reduce core Government funding to Derbyshire police by £1.9 million (equating to 1.7%), compared to what it would have received if the raw formula had been used. In 2012-13, the reduction was £1.9 million (equating to 1.8%), and in 2013-14, the reduction is £2.1million (equating to 1.9%).

Driving under Influence: Drugs

Graeme Morrice: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  what type of operational device is planned to be introduced for roadside tests for offences associated with drug driving;
	(2)  whether she has approved the (a) purchase and (b) deployment of handheld devices to enforce the law relating to drug driving.

Jeremy Browne: The enforcement of drug driving offences does not depend on the availability of drug testing devices. They can help enforcement by enabling the police to require an evidential blood specimen without having to seek medical authorisation.
	Devices must be of a type approved by the Secretary of State for the Home Department.
	Type approval is granted only on proof of compliance with the detailed requirements set out in a Home Office specification. A device for use at a police station has already been approved. The issue of a specification for a roadside device is currently under consideration in the light of the consultation on the details of a new drug driving offence being conducted by the Department for Transport.
	Once any devices have been approved, it will be a matter for individual police and crime commissioners and individual chief officers of police to decide on their purchase and deployment.

Europol

Dominic Raab: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  what assessment she has made of the cost to UK police forces of processing Europol requests for the UK to (a) supply information and (b) initiate a criminal investigation (i) in total and (ii) on average, broken down by (A) denied requests and (B) accepted requests in each year since 2009;
	(2)  how many times the UK has made a request to Europol for (a) advice, (b) information, (c) intelligence and (d) analysis in each year since 2009; and how many such requests led to a successful conviction;
	(3)  how many requests the UK received from Europol to initiate a criminal investigation in each year since 2009; how many such applications were (a) accepted and (b) denied; and how many accepted applications led to successful convictions;
	(4)  how many requests the UK has received from Europol to supply information in each year since 2009; how many such applications were (a) accepted and (b) denied; and how many of the accepted applications led to successful convictions.

James Brokenshire: holding answer 18 July 2013
	The UK Liaison Bureau in Europol is not aware of any formal requests received from Europol to initiate a criminal investigation in the UK. There are no available figures on which a reasonable assessment can be made of the cost to UK police forces in response to the processing of Europol requests for the UK to supply information.
	The information on how many requests the UK has received from Europol to supply information and how many requests it has made to Europol is not readily available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Scrap Metal Dealers Act 2013

Chris Kelly: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the preparedness of local authorities for implementation of the Scrap Metal Dealers Act 2013; and if he will make a statement.

Jeremy Browne: Since Royal Assent on 28 February 2013, the Home Office has been working closely with the Local Government Association to ensure local authorities have the right information to prepare for the Act's commencement on 1 October 2013.

Scrap Metal Dealers Act 2013

Jason McCartney: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the Government plans to implement the Scrap Metal Dealers Act 2013; and if she will make a statement.

Chris Kelly: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the timescale is for implementation of the measures contained in the Scrap Metal Dealers Act 2013.

Jeremy Browne: The Scrap Metal Dealers Act 2013 will commence on 1 October 2013. The Commencement Order for the Act was made on 6 August 2013 and sets out when each provision within the Act comes into force as well as the transitional arrangements for moving to the new scheme. The Order can be found at:
	http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2013/1966/contents/made

Vetting

Joan Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will take steps to amend the Disclosure and Barring Service Form so that question E55 is not asked without account having been taken of the change in the law relating to spent convictions.

James Brokenshire: Question E55 on the criminal record check application form only relates to those convictions, cautions, reprimands or final warnings which would not be filtered in line with legislation. Online guidance is available regarding the filtering rules, and the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) will amend its application process in due course.

TRANSPORT

Air Traffic Control

Angus MacNeil: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the potential effect the Single European Sky initiative and its accompanying targets will have on (a) job numbers in and (b) safe and efficient air traffic services provision by National Air Traffic Services.

Simon Burns: The Single European Sky (SES) initiative aims to modernise the European air traffic network to deliver a seamless, safe, sustainable, cost-effective, high performing and modern European air traffic management system capable of meeting future capacity needs.
	The Government is a strong supporter of the SES initiative because of the benefits it is delivering to UK business and passengers.
	How NATS En Route Ltd (NERL), the UK's regulated en route air traffic control service provider, meets its SES obligations, including targets on safety and cost-efficiency, as well as capacity and environment, is a matter for NERL and the UK's independent aviation regulator, the Civil Aviation Authority (the CAA).

Aircraft: Air Conditioning

Andrew McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent progress has been made on improving air quality standards on commercial aircraft.

Simon Burns: The Department has no evidence that air quality standards on commercial aircraft need improving. The Cranfield University research, published in May 2011 and funded by this Department, found no evidence of pollutants occurring in cabin air at levels exceeding acceptable health and safety standards and guidelines.

BRB (Residuary)

Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether he is involved in any discussions with Network Rail over the transfer of specific assets from BRB (Residuary) Ltd to Network Rail or other bodies.

Stephen Hammond: While the Secretary of State for Transport, my right hon. Friend the Member for Derbyshire Dales (Mr McLoughlin), is not involved in any discussions with Network Rail, officials have been working closely with them over the transfer of specific assets from BRB (Residuary) Ltd to Network Rail or other bodies.

BRB (Residuary)

Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many sites have been sold or leased by BRB (Residuary) Ltd since 31 March 2013; and how much revenue has been raised by land sales and rental payments since that date.

Stephen Hammond: During the period from 31 March 2013 to 30 August 2013 BRB (Residuary) Ltd has sold 20 sites and generated sales proceeds of £11.9 million. Over the same period BRB (Residuary) Ltd has completed 14 leases (combination of new leases and lease renewals) and received rental payments of £118,700.

BRB (Residuary)

Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether there will be any staffing reductions in his Department as a consequence of abolishing BRB (Residuary) Ltd; and whether transfers to other Government departments or agencies will involve any changes to terms and conditions.

Stephen Hammond: There will be no staffing reductions within the Department itself as a consequence of abolishing BRB (Residuary) Ltd.
	Staff transfers to successor bodies are being done under TUPE so there are no changes to terms and conditions.

BRB (Residuary)

Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment has he made of the capability of his Department, Network Rail, London and Continental Railways and the Rail Safety and Standards Board to undertake the functions transferred to them by the abolition of BRB (Residuary) Ltd; and whether any additional resources will be provided to those bodies in order to fulfil their new responsibilities.

Stephen Hammond: The public consultation, in 2012, on the proposed abolition of BRB (Residuary) Ltd set out the rationale for the successor bodies having the capabilities and being best placed to deliver the responsibilities transferring. Since then the Department has been working closely with BRBR and the successor bodies to ensure a smooth transition of responsibilities. This also includes the transfer of certain staff from BRBR to London and Continental Railways Ltd and the Department under TUPE regulations.

Buses: Tyres

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the benefits of ensuring that public service vehicle operators cannot use tyres over a certain age; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what recent research he has commissioned on the role played by old tyres in public service vehicle crashes.

Stephen Hammond: The Department for Transport has not made an assessment of the benefits of ensuring that public service vehicle operators cannot use tyres over a certain age, and has not commissioned any research on the role played by old tyres in public service vehicle crashes.
	Her Majesty's Coroner for Surrey has written to the Secretary of State following an inquest into a tragic incident on the A3 in Surrey last September. The Department's officials are considering the information provided by the Coroner and I will respond to him in accordance with the established procedure.

Driving: Eyesight

Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate his Department has made of the number of commercial and domestic drivers whose eyesight would not pass the standard eyesight test.

Stephen Hammond: No estimate has been made on the number of drivers whose eyesight does not meet the minimum standard required for safe driving.

Driving: Licensing

Stephen McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate his Department has made of the number of drivers in the UK who are yet to exchange their paper driving licence for a photocard licence.

Stephen Hammond: In Great Britain on the 30 August 2013, 9,751,572 individuals held a valid paper driving licence as compared to 35,306,492 photo card driving licence holders.

Driving: Licensing

Stephen McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans his Department has for the future of paper driving licences.

Stephen Hammond: Although existing legislation allows us to make the surrender of paper driving licences compulsory there are no current plans to require this. The European directive on driving licences does however require that all driving licences issued or in circulation must be in the form of photocard by 19 January 2033.

East Coast Railway Line

Mark Lazarowicz: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the formula is to determine the funding for the British Transport Police on the East Coast Main Line; and if he will place a copy of the formula in the Library.

Simon Burns: Policing charges are set by the British Transport Police Authority. A copy of a demonstration version of the model they use to calculate these charges has been placed in the House Library. This demonstrates how the model works, but includes artificial proxy data. This version of the model has been shared with all PSA holders covered by the new 2013 PSA. A ‘model process’ document, which explains the steps taken in the model in preparing the charges, has also been provided.
	The Authority would be happy to meet with the hon. Member to provide a detailed explanation of the model and its application if this would be helpful.

Ferries: Exhaust Emissions

Simon Hart: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment his Department has made of the effect of measures to meet 2015 targets for sulphur emissions on (a) the (i) economic operation and (ii) employment levels of passenger and freight ferry operations in the UK and (b) the UK economy.

Stephen Hammond: The Department is currently preparing an impact assessment on the new sulphur requirements, which will be published later this year. Our assessment will consider the impacts both on the shipping and ports industries and on the wider UK economy.

General Lighthouse Authorities

Jim Fitzpatrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what meetings Ministers in his Department have had with (a) Ministers in other Departments and (b) outside bodies about the future of the General Lighthouse Authorities.

Stephen Hammond: There have been no such meetings.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the (a) potential loss of business rates and jobs which would result from the construction of the Hoo Green to Bamfurlong Spur of High Speed 2, (b) ability of areas with a High Speed 2 station to attract investment which might otherwise come to Warrington and (c) overall potential economic effect of High Speed 2 on Warrington Borough.

Simon Burns: HS2 Ltd has set up a programme of work with the explicit aim of considering more widely how, as a transformational infrastructure project, HS2 could impact on the economy at the national and regional level. Early outputs of this work are expected to be available later this year.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport for what reason no examination of the costs and benefits of the Hoo Green to Bamfurlong spur proposed for High Speed 2 has been conducted by HS2 Ltd; and if he will make it his policy that such an analysis should be undertaken.

Simon Burns: HS2 Ltd has considered the costs and benefits of the Hoo Green to Bamfurlong line and this is incorporated into the economic case for HS2 published in February 2011. An updated assessment of the economic case for HS2 will be published in October 2013.
	HS2 Ltd has examined the benefits a connection at Goldborne would have in terms of journey time decreases for Preston and the North; the test indicated a high value return would be gained.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport for what reason no examination of the costs and benefits of the High Speed 2 line connecting to the West Coast Main Line immediately north of Crewe has been carried out by HS2 Ltd; and if he will make it his policy that such a study should be undertaken.

Simon Burns: HS2 Ltd's analysis identified the connection south of Crewe as having the strongest economic case and delivering the widest strategic benefits for a larger proportion of passengers. As well as enabling services to run to and between key markets of Crewe, Liverpool, Runcorn, Wigan and Warrington, it also offered the potential to serve Chester and North Wales (subject to electrification).
	A connection north of Crewe would have significant sustainability impacts, incur substantial infrastructure costs and mean that some of the above markets could not be served. For this reason, HS2 Ltd did not undertake a detailed assessment of this option.
	However, the proposed route is part of the Phase Two consultation which ends on 31 January 2014. The views we get during this consultation will play an important part in informing the Secretary of State's decision on final route, station and depot options by the end of 2014.

Travel

Jim Fitzpatrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what meetings Ministers in his Department have had with Ministers from other Departments to promote the policy of active travel.

Norman Baker: In the past year, as DFT Minister with responsibility for cycling and walking, I have held meetings with Ministers in DCLG, DFE, DH and DEFRA to promote walking and cycling policy.

Waterloo Station

Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of options for returning platforms 21 to 24 of London Waterloo station to operation.

Simon Burns: The Government is committed to bringing the former international platforms at Waterloo station into domestic use. A comprehensive and long-term plan for the whole of Waterloo station and the route is being developed, to include use of all of Waterloo International.
	Network Rail published its Strategic Business Plan (SBP) in January 2013 setting out how the rail industry proposes to deliver the Government's HLOS rail strategy for 2014-19. The SBP proposes a £300 million investment to increase capacity into London Waterloo in CP5 as part of a longer term enhancement programme that will deliver significant capacity improvements into CP6 and beyond. During CP5, improvements will focus on suburban routes into London with platform extensions to accommodate longer 10 car trains and the integration of the former Waterloo International terminal and its platforms to increase capacity within the station.
	The independent Office of Rail Regulation published its draft findings for public consultation in June 2013. The draft determination notes that the Waterloo scheme is at an early stage of development and proposes a mechanism for cost review later in the control period when the costs are more certain. The final determination is due in October 2013 and will set, among other matters, what enhancements Network Rail is required to provide and what funds it is to be provided with for this purpose.
	In advance of this, DFT and industry partners are continuing the early development of options to deliver additional capacity at Waterloo and along the south-west route.
	The Department for Transport is committed to making sure the industry is making best use of Government-funded investment.